Guidance

TAC information pack

Updated 23 June 2021

Welcome message

Thank you for your interest in the Trade and Agriculture Commission.

Our approach to free trade includes a fierce commitment to our high standards for food and farming, and to supporting UK farmers. Ensuring effective scrutiny of new full Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) is an important part of delivering on this.

We have put many mechanisms in place to ensure close involvement of the agriculture sector in our trade agreements including public consultations, Trade Advisory Groups and economic impact assessments.

The new Trade and Agriculture Commission (TAC) is part of the next stage of delivering new FTAs. It will have an important role in scrutinising what we have achieved, in particular the TAC will make sure that we have fully understood the implications of an FTA for the UK regulatory landscape for agricultural products.

The TAC’s role is specific and focused: it will look at the text of an FTA to see if the measures relating to trade in agricultural products have any implications for maintaining our domestic statutory protections – specifically those relating to animal and plant health, animal welfare and the environment – across the UK.

The TAC will provide advice to me on this, which will be laid before Parliament. In this way, the TAC will be an important, independent source of advice ensuring that our intentions for the maintenance of our statutory protections are reflected in the agreed FTA text.

The Commission will also have a valuable role in explaining whether there are changes to our UK domestic statutory protections, and if so to what extent, to Parliamentarians and the public.

We are now seeking expressions of interest from experts in: UK animal and plant health standards; UK animal welfare standards; UK environmental standards as they relate to agricultural products; and international trade law and policy, to join the new Trade and Agriculture Commission. The Commission collectively will need to have detailed knowledge and expertise of these issues.

I see this Commission as making a crucially important contribution to delivering our ambitious trade agenda, and hope that you will consider submitting an application.

The Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP, Secretary of State for International Trade

Background

Department for International Trade

This is an exciting time to be involved in the work of the Department for International Trade (DIT), a department at the heart of the UK’s relationship with the global economy. Our role is to promote and enable UK trade globally, enabling businesses to take advantage of the appetite for British goods and services around the world, attracting foreign companies and investment to our shores, and enabling international companies to collaborate with UK suppliers.

What is the Trade and Agriculture Commission?

The Trade and Agriculture Commission (TAC) is a new body, reflecting the change in how the United Kingdom trades with the world. It is an independent Expert Committee, and will comprise trade and agriculture specialists. It has an important role to play in independent scrutiny of new free trade agreements (FTA).

If a new FTA includes measures applicable to trade in agricultural products, the DIT Secretary of State must lay a report before Parliament explaining whether the measures are consistent with the maintenance of UK levels of statutory protection for such products. This report must be laid in Parliament before the start of the 21-day scrutiny period under the terms of the Constitutional Reform and Governance (CRaG) Act 2010^{[footnote 1]} . The CRaG procedure is the statutory process for the scrutiny of international treaties, including free trade agreements, prior to ratification.

To produce this report, the DIT Secretary of State can request independent advice from any body or person with relevant expertise. The TAC will be one such source of expertise.

In particular the TAC will provide independent advice to the DIT Secretary of State – which will also be laid before Parliament – on whether the measures in an FTA relating to agricultural products could mean a change in our domestic statutory protections, or government’s ability to set those protections, in relation to UK:

• animal and plant health standards
• animal welfare standards
• environmental standards as they relate to agricultural products

The members of the TAC will be experts in their field, selected for their expertise, and will not represent any organisation.

The government’s programme of engagement on trade policy included an earlier iteration of the Trade and Agriculture Commission, whose remit ended with the publication of its report in March 2021. The TAC was an independent, time-limited body set up to advise on specific questions to inform the UK’s trade and agriculture policy. The new Trade and Agriculture Commission (TAC) represents an evolution of this body, but has a different function.

Role description

Appointing department: Department for International Trade (DIT)

Location: Our current assumption is that much of the work will be done remotely; any future meetings in person are likely to be in London.

Skills required: Expertise in at least one of the following areas:

• i. UK animal and plant health standards

• ii. UK animal welfare standards

• iii. UK environmental standards as they relate to agricultural products

• iv. international trade law and policy

Number of vacancies: 8 to12

Remuneration: reasonable expenses and remuneration of £200 per day

Length of appointment: Up to 18 months

Time requirements: Up to 20 working days per FTA negotiated by the government

Purpose of the role: To provide independent, expert advice on whether measures in FTA treaty text – per each member’s area of expertise – may have an impact on UK domestic statutory protections, reporting to the Chair. Members are appointed for their individual knowledge and expertise, and do not represent an organisation.

Key responsibilities: In the short term, advice is expected to be required for agreements with Australia and New Zealand, though this will be contingent on government’s negotiating timetables. Other agreements may also be considered.

The key responsibilities of members will be to:

• support the Chair in delivering the advice requested by the Secretary of State - this will include agreeing effective ways of working together and collectively ensuring that the full range of domestic statutory protections listed above has been considered, and that all regions of the UK have been considered
• read negotiated treaty text and provide independent, expert advice on whether measures in FTA treaty text may have an impact on UK domestic statutory protections in one of the following areas: animal and plant health; animal welfare; the environment; international trade law and policy
• prepare for, attend and actively participate in meetings as required
• contribute to drafting of the advice for the Secretary of State
• operate in an independent professional way

Person specification

Essential criteria

1. Your CV and statement of motivation should demonstrate professional experience and standing in at least one of the following areas:

a) UK animal and plant health standards

b) UK animal welfare standards

c) UK environmental standards as they relate to agricultural products

d) international trade law and policy (including an understanding of agricultural trade economics).

Note that your area of specialism may relate to one region of the UK. The Committee collectively must have detailed knowledge of the regulatory landscape of the UK: this will come from the breadth of the membership.

2. Your CV and Statement of Motivation should demonstrate familiarity with one of the following:

a) domestic regulatory policy in [one of]:

i. UK animal and plant health standards

ii. UK animal welfare standards

iii. UK environmental standards as they relate to agricultural products.

b) the development of trade policy and/or Free Trade Agreements

c) scrutiny of trade policy and/or trade legislation and/or Free Trade Agreements

As above, your specialism may relate to one region of the UK.

3. You statement of motivation should demonstrate evidence / experience that you can: offer sound judgment; assimilate complex information quickly; communicate complex information to a non-technical audience. You will also be used to working to very tight deadlines.

4. You statement of motivation should demonstrate evidence of experience of working in a challenging committee-type forum and of working on jointly authored papers.

Desirable criteria

5. It would be desirable to have some understanding of the roles and responsibilities of various regulatory and policy-setting bodies in the areas listed above.

Personal attributes

6. We are looking for individuals who, as leaders in their field, want to contribute to scrutiny of FTAs at the highest level and are able to support their views with evidence.

Due diligence, conflicts of interest, and confidentiality

7. Due diligence / conflicts of interest checks will be carried out at the shortlisting stage, which will include searches of candidates’ financial probity, public statements, and publicly available social media profiles.

8. You should note the Commission and its members will report to the Secretary of State. Information provided to TAC and its discussions will remain confidential. Members may not make information public outside of the government’s own approach to publication of the advice.

Instructions

The closing date for applications is 23:55, 4 July 2021. Deadline extended

Please submit the four documents below as part of your application to TACSecretariat@trade.gov.uk Please include your full name and ‘Trade and Agriculture Commission EOI application’ in the subject box. Please submit the documents below as four separate attachments.

1. A comprehensive CV (maximum two sides A4, minimum 11 black font) setting out your career history, dates you occupied these roles and including details of any professional qualifications required for this role.

2. A statement of motivation that provides a short statement of motivation for the role (maximum 2 sides A4, minimum 11 black front). This provides an opportunity to demonstrate to the Advisory Assessment Panel, how you can demonstrate the skills, qualities and experience for the role identified in the person specification. Please provide subheading and separate paragraphs in relation to how you meet each criterion. All acronyms should be written in full when used first.

3. Complete and return the diversity monitoring form. Diversity monitoring information will not be seen by the Assessment Panel assessing your application. However, you should note that political activity detailed in this form will be provided separately to the panel and may, if appropriate, be discussed with you during your interview.

4. Complete and return the candidate declaration form as part of your application. Please note that we will also carry out searches of candidates’ financial probity, public statements, and publicly available social media profiles if successful to interview stage.

Please note the following:

• we cannot accept applications submitted after the closing date
• applications will be assessed solely on the documentation provided - please refer to the advert and checklist to ensure you have provided the necessary documentation
• applications will be acknowledged upon receipt

Further information

If you have any queries about this role, please contact TACSecretariat@trade.gov.uk

If you have any queries about the recruitment process for this role, please contact TACSecretariat@trade.gov.uk

Indicative timetable

Please note that these dates are only indicative at this stage and could be subject to change.

Advert closing date: 23:55, 4 July 2021

Short list meeting: week commencing 5 July 2021

Selection process

Panel

The panel for this recruitment is expected to be:

• Panel Chair – to be confirmed
• Lucy Buzzoni, Director, Parliamentary Policy and Strategy
• Jen Ashby / Ian Shepherd, Trade Policy Group Directors (jobshare)

Written sift

Panellists will conduct a written sift of applications independently, assessing each application against the essential criteria. A short list meeting will then take place, where panellists will discuss their independent assessments before reaching a consensus-based decision. Panellists will then make recommendations to the DIT Secretary of State. We do not envisage interviews taking place at this time.

The final decision to appoint to this role rests with the DIT Secretary of State. Appointable candidates may be invited to meet ministers before a final decision is made. As a result, there may be a delay in informing candidates of the outcome of the competition.

Please note: Expenses incurred by candidates during the recruitment process will not be reimbursed except in exceptional circumstance.

We are inclusive and welcome and value applicants from all backgrounds.

The 7 principles of public life

The principles of public life apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder. This includes all those who are elected or appointed to public office, nationally and locally, and all people appointed to work in the civil service, local government, the police, courts and probation services, NDPBs, and in the health, education, social and care services. All public office-holders are both servants of the public and stewards of public resources. The principles also have application to all those in other sectors delivering public services.

1. Selflessness

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.

2. Integrity

Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

3. Objectivity

Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

4. Accountability

Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

5. Openness

Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.

6. Honesty

Holders of public office should be truthful.

7. Leadership

Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and be willing to challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

For further information on the 7 principles and the work of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, visit the Committee’s website and blogsite.

Complaints

If you are not completely satisfied with the way your application is handled at any stage of the competition, please raise any complaint in the first instance with TACSecretariat@trade.gov.uk and this will be addressed by an independent colleague.

1. Section 42 of the Agriculture Act 2020 ↩