Food Policy on Trial: Carbon border adjustment – jury verdict

Our fourth Food Policy on Trial event put a Carbon Border Adjustment tax in relation to food and farming ‘in the dock’.

We heard from expert witnesses:

  • Prof Dieter Helm, Professor of Economic Policy at the University of Oxford (pre-recorded)
  • Angela Francis, Chief Advisor, Economics and Economic Development, WWF-UK
  • Chiara Putaturo, EU Inequality and Tax Policy Advisor, Oxfam
  • Jack Watts, Agri-food Policy Delivery Manager, National Farmers’ Union (NFU)

Our jury consisted of five members of the Food Ethics Council:

  • Pete Ritchie, Executive Director of Nourish Scotland and organic farmer (Chaired the event)
  • Julian Baggini, Freelance writer and philosopher
  • Chloe Donovan, Founder of Hundred River Farm
  • Ralph Early, Independent food scientist and ethicist
  • Jo Lewis, Strategy & Policy Director, Soil Association

Below you can read selected extracts from the evidence presented, get a sense of the wider discussion and read the jury’s verdict on this policy idea. We encourage you to also listen to the audio recording of the ‘trial’ here and come to your own judgement!