US-UK trade deal ‘not the end for farmers’, says NFU chief
The National Farmers Union (NFU) has praised the government for some elements of its new US-UK trade agreement, but warned that it still posed difficulties for the UK’s agricultural sector.
Yesterday, (8 May) the US and UK struck a new trade agreement, easing tariffs on key products such as steel and cars, while granting limited US access for British beef exporters, prompting both praise and concern from UK agricultural leaders.
A new agreement on US products sold in the UK is also part of the agreement. Previously, US beef exports to the UK had been subject to a 20% tariff within a quota of 1,000 metric tons.
UInder the new terms, the UK has scrapped this tariff and raised the quota to 13,000 metric tonnes, according to White House documents. Government ministers said this was the “first time” the UK had given such a deal.
Responding to the news, NFU president Tom Bradshaw said the deal had protected the “sensitive” agricultural industry by securing reciprocal access for beef, and described the outcome as “fair and balanced”.
Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning
“For several years, we’ve campaigned with the UK’s agricultural attachés in Washington for market access for British beef, a product globally respected for its quality and strong environmental credentials,” said Bradshaw.
Bradshaw admitted there was some concern among British arable farmers, due to the market access provided for a significant volume of US bioethanol. However, he maintained that, “These efforts have contributed to enabling the UK government to secure ring-fenced access for British beef exports to the US.”
Bradshaw also warned that singling out UK agricultural sectors “to shoulder the heavy burden of the removal of tariffs for other industries in the economy” was a major cause of concern for UK farmers.
“While we understand this, we also know that today is the start, not the end, of a process and UK agriculture cannot continue to shoulder such imbalances in future negotiations. This is not something anyone wanted,” he added.
3 Comments. Leave new
Clearly this Government has no love for the domestic agricultural sector. One measure after another it is driving farmers out of business.
To true , starmer now going back to the EU does not care bout the uk agriculture sector at all , nor anything else
The NFU is not fit for purpose