British farming leaders’ concern over Australia’s tariff-free access to UK market
British farming leaders have expressed concern over their government’s plan to give Australia tariff-free access to the UK market.
The head of the British farming lobby has urged its government to consider the domestic impact of giving Australia tariff-free access to the UK market.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is backing a plan to give Australian food exporters the same terms as those enjoyed by the European Union, in what would be the first tailored trade deal signed by the UK government since it left the EU last year.
However, there has been concern over the plan’s impact on the beef sector from Environment Secretary George Eustice, whose portfolio covers agriculture. In an effort to address concerns by Mr Eustice, there will be a transition period of between 10 and 15 years as tariffs on Australian food are phased out before being removed.
National Farmers Union president Minette Batters told the UK’s Channel Four that she supported a trade deal with Australia but wanted more thought from Downing Street on “areas of sensitivity”.
“We know that the UK is a very densely populated country – 70 million people here in the UK. We know that Australia is a massive agricultural producer with 25 million people there and a huge beef and sheep sector.
“So they sometimes have feedlot systems of 50,000 head of cattle. The average here in the UK is 30 beef animals as a breeding herd. So we are completely different and all we are saying to the (British) government is that we’ve got to go into this carefully, constructively. We’ve got to be able to put reviews in place — just to see what the impact is on farmers in our country.”
British Trade Minister Liz Truss is keen in principle for a wide-ranging agreement to be reached as early as next month.
Ms Truss met with Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan in London earlier this year to discuss the potential deal.
Australia pays tariffs of 20 per cent on all exports of beef to the UK.
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