Tuesday, December 21, 2021
UK farming, forestry and fishing to be hit by new trade deal
Former Liberal Democrat. pro-European and one-time anti-monarchist, Liz Truss may well be enjoying a meteoric rise at the moment, with her being given the additional responsibiloity of taking on the EU, but her record as a trade negotiator is not as great as she would like us to believe.
The i-paper reports that the deal she secured with Australia, when she was Trade Secretary, may well have dire consequences for our own farming, forestry and fishing industry.
The paper says that the government's own impact assessment shows that this sector will take a £94m hit, with an additional expected £225m hit to the semi-processed food sector, which includes tinned products, as part of a “reallocation of resources within the economy”:
The impact assessment refers to Australia as a “large, competitive producer of agricultural products”, making clear the “potential for the deal to result in lower output for some agricultural sectors [in the UK] as a result”.
It goes on to warn that the sector is expected “to contract” as a result of increased competition as tariffs are lifted on Australian imports to the UK, compared to if the deal had not been struck.
It comes after then-trade secretary Liz Truss won a Cabinet row with George Eustice over the deal in spring, with the Environment Secretary reportedly concerned about the damage cheap Ausralian lamb and beef imports could do to domestic farmers.
Manufacturing sectors, in particular the manufacture of motor vehicles and the manufacfture of machinery and equipment will benefit from the deal, the impact assessment published alongside the final trade deal on Friday showed.
The Liberal Democrats warned farmers were being “sold down the river” by the Conservatives as a result of the deal.
It came after Boris Johnson’s party suffered a humiliating by-election defeat to the Lib Dems in the largely rural seat of North Shropshire.
Lib Dem environment spokesman Tim Farron said: “This impact assessment proves what so many feared.
“Buried in the small print is a £100m hit to our farming and fishing sectors that will hit rural communities hardest.
“Boris Johnson has sold farmers down the river to make a quick buck in a misguided trade deal with Australia.
“Now the reality of what’s on the table is clear, it’s vital that Parliament is given a vote on the deal.
“Last week’s political earthquake in North Shropshire shows that Boris Johnson’s Conservatives can’t afford to take farmers for granted any longer.”
Promises to farmers that leaving the EU would benefit them have proved to be no more than Scotch mist. Instead agriculture has been one of the victinms of Brexit and deals such as the one Truss negotiated with Australia have added to that pain.
The i-paper reports that the deal she secured with Australia, when she was Trade Secretary, may well have dire consequences for our own farming, forestry and fishing industry.
The paper says that the government's own impact assessment shows that this sector will take a £94m hit, with an additional expected £225m hit to the semi-processed food sector, which includes tinned products, as part of a “reallocation of resources within the economy”:
The impact assessment refers to Australia as a “large, competitive producer of agricultural products”, making clear the “potential for the deal to result in lower output for some agricultural sectors [in the UK] as a result”.
It goes on to warn that the sector is expected “to contract” as a result of increased competition as tariffs are lifted on Australian imports to the UK, compared to if the deal had not been struck.
It comes after then-trade secretary Liz Truss won a Cabinet row with George Eustice over the deal in spring, with the Environment Secretary reportedly concerned about the damage cheap Ausralian lamb and beef imports could do to domestic farmers.
Manufacturing sectors, in particular the manufacture of motor vehicles and the manufacfture of machinery and equipment will benefit from the deal, the impact assessment published alongside the final trade deal on Friday showed.
The Liberal Democrats warned farmers were being “sold down the river” by the Conservatives as a result of the deal.
It came after Boris Johnson’s party suffered a humiliating by-election defeat to the Lib Dems in the largely rural seat of North Shropshire.
Lib Dem environment spokesman Tim Farron said: “This impact assessment proves what so many feared.
“Buried in the small print is a £100m hit to our farming and fishing sectors that will hit rural communities hardest.
“Boris Johnson has sold farmers down the river to make a quick buck in a misguided trade deal with Australia.
“Now the reality of what’s on the table is clear, it’s vital that Parliament is given a vote on the deal.
“Last week’s political earthquake in North Shropshire shows that Boris Johnson’s Conservatives can’t afford to take farmers for granted any longer.”
Promises to farmers that leaving the EU would benefit them have proved to be no more than Scotch mist. Instead agriculture has been one of the victinms of Brexit and deals such as the one Truss negotiated with Australia have added to that pain.
