A LORDS amendment to the Agriculture Bill was defeated in Parliament on Monday night after MPs rejected the latest attempt to require imported food to meet domestic legal standards from January 1.

The bill – designed to prepare the farming industry for when the UK no longer has to follow EU laws and rules next year – returned to the Commons on Monday following amendments by the House of Lords.

However, MPs voted by 332 votes to 279 – a majority 53 – to back government plans to reject the amendment.

The government says EU rules banning imports of chlorine-washed chicken and other products will be automatically written into UK law once the post-Brexit transition period ends on December 31.

But peers made a number of changes, including one which would give MPs a veto over sections in trade deals relating to food imports, which would be required to comply with "relevant domestic standards".

They argued these changes were necessary to make it impossible for the US or other countries to export so-called chlorinated chicken or beef fattened with hormones.

NFU Cymru had urged MPs to ensure the high standards of production adhered to by British farmers are safeguarded in future trade agreements.

The union had asked Welsh MPs to support two amendments to the Bill.

The first would place a requirement on government to ensure that imports meet domestic standards. The second sought to establish a permanent role for the Trade and Agriculture Commission to make recommendations to Parliament to ensure they align with the government’s commitment not to undermine UK agriculture and food standards.

NFU Cymru deputy president Aled Jones said last week: “This is a crucial debate, one that will have implications for our industry for years to come.