Just before Christmas, the United Kingdom signed the first "from scratch" trade deal since we regained an independent trade policy having left the shackles of the European Union. The deal with Australia is an important stepping stone to much greater prosperity for our country as we open up new markets for UK exporters.
One of the areas of scrutiny for all new trade deals is the impact on UK farmers. Greg will look out for the report of the Trade and Agriculture Commission on this deal with interest. However, he was very pleased to hear the Secretary of State for International Trade clearly and unambiguously say during her Statement yesterday that all imports under this new trade deal would categorically have to meet our existing food standards. Equally she was clear that the expected volume of Australian meat coming into the UK is very low. However, with our world class meat and agricultural produce, Greg challenged her to do everything possible to bang the drum for British agriculture and ensure our farmers see the benefits of this trade deal, selling as much meat as possible to Australia and other new markets we are negotiating with.
Read more about the 10 key benefits of this deal here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1041767/ten-key-benefits-of-the-uk-australia-free-trade-agreement.pdf
