Truss sent joint warning over Australia trade deal concerns

The UK’s free trade deal with Australia risks setting a “damaging precedent” for the future, farming ministers from Scotland and Northern Ireland (NI) have warned.

Farming ministers fired the warning to the UK government in a joint letter sent to international trade secretary Liz Truss.

Mairi Gougeon, Scottish rural economy and tourism secretary, and Edwin Poots, NI executive minister for agriculture, environment and rural affairs, are seeking assurances from the UK government that the deal with Australia will not have a disproportionate impact on domestic farmers and producers.

See also: UK signs Australia free trade deal despite farmer concerns

In the letter, the ministers highlight that a 15-year cap on beef and lamb imports “will provide no comfort for our farming communities and would set a very damaging precedent for future FTAs (free trade agreements) yet to be agreed”.

“We are also concerned by the size of the quotas which after 15 years equate to 16% of UK beef consumption and 49% of UK sheepmeat consumption,” the letter adds.

“Clearly, if Australian exports reach anything close to these levels, we can expect a very significant negative impact on our agri-food sector.

“We are not reassured about claims that Australia will not be exporting significant amounts of beef to the UK or is seeking to replace imports from other countries.”

Deal ‘inconsistent’

The farming ministers ask for clarification about underpinning risk assessments and how the deal is consistent with wider ambitions to tackle climate change.

They call on the UK government to provide further detail on what has been agreed – and ask that the devolved administrations are consulted around the remaining issues still to be agreed.

The ministers are seeking an urgent meeting with Defra officials to discuss the Australia deal today (Monday 28 June).

Prime minister Boris Johnson and his Australian counterpart, Scott Morrison, announced details of an “in-principle” UK-Australia FTA on 15 June.

British farmers fear their high animal welfare and environmental standards will be undercut by a flood of lower quality imports.

Farming organisations, including the NFU, have questioned how the UK government is requiring domestic farmers to raise their own standards in future, while allowing foods produced with chemicals and methods banned here in the UK to be imported.

The letter states: “The UK government has indicated that the deal includes a non-regression clause on animal welfare standards, albeit Australian standards are already different and so from a standing start, domestic producers would likely still be at a disadvantage.

“We will be looking at this clause very closely, while also considering the detail of any other safeguards.”

The ministers warn: “We have little faith that these concerns are currently being taken seriously.”

Government response

A UK government spokesman said: “The government has always been clear that any deal would include protections for sensitive UK agriculture.

“Trade deals like the one agreed in principle with Australia will pave the way for us to access regional trading blocs like CPTPP (the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership), and we will continue to work with the farming industry, as well as the Scottish government and the Northern Ireland Executive, to help our farmers take advantage of these dynamic markets.

“UK farmers have a strong reputation for their high quality, high welfare produce. We put British farming at the heart of our trade policy, and we have some of the most robust and transparent scrutiny arrangements in the world.”