Other trade deals

EU Deal Japan Australian USA TPP

One of the principle reasons for getting out of the Customs Union, is to allow UK to make other trade deals. Johnson's Withdrawal Bill scraps powers of MPs to scrutinise future trade deals. The government plan is to export more, not 'import less' food. Yet, food exports fell by nearly 14% to lowest since 2015

Truss, Trade & Tariffs

Liz Truss faces 'brick wall' of Tory rebellion, who "are demanding more concessions – including beefing up the 'weak' trade and agriculture advisory commission – as the price for staving off more rebellions this autumn"

Liz Truss announces (29 June) new Trade and Agriculture Commission (membership) to

"make recommendations for agricultural trade policy, higher animal welfare standards and export opportunities for farmers." The commission has been charged with producing a report, when he body will be closed down, and its recommendations will be advisory not legally binding. Head of new Trade & Ag says "Alarmism over chlorinated chicken must end Tim Smith goes on

"The UK’s arrival as an independent trading nation was always going to be accompanied by a solid public debate about where our food comes from and how it is produced. The decisions this government is making now will in part shape the future not just of British farming, but the whole country, so it is only right that the voices of industry and the British public are heard." I don't remember much debate until the amendment to maintain import standards was lost. This is not just about subsidies - it is also tariffs!Liz Truss is trying to do deals with US and Japan where in both cases she is trying to get reductions on tariffs for UK food and drinks.This is part of ‘International Action Plan for Food and Drink aimed to export an extra £3b worth of food - and drink. Do not forget 'drink'. ‘Hard liquor’ (in world trade terms) makes up 40% of our food and drinks exports by value.

Green Trade

Government says :"Free trade can be a lean, green, value-creating machine that is good for developed and developing nations alike. Global Britain must work with our friends and partners across the world to break down barriers to trade in environmentally beneficial goods and services – to ensure that free trade helps speed the uptake of green technologies across the world"

Canada

Collapse of trade talks We inherited a 'Roll-over deal', but that has runout. "British cheese exports to Canada have been on the rise because they were protected by the EU/Canada agreement; without that protective shield, we are truly on our own. "

Brazil

Beef farmers warning Defra "DEFENDERS of home-produced Scottish food expressed concern (Feb21) over the newly signed 'memorandum of understanding' between the United Kingdom and agricultural powerhouse Brazil, warning that the scene was being set for the importation of beef produced using growth promoting hormones.

While the new accord with Brazil has not grabbed the headlines in Britain, it has been widely reported in Brazil, where agriculture minister Tereza Cristina predicted that, over time, the UK would become more aligned with international rules on food safety, 'closer to science-based approaches'."

India

Nov 22 The then agriculture secretary George Eustice wrote to Johnson on June 27 "to complain that an internal Whitehall agreement designed to avoid a repeat of the one-sided concessions made to Australia on food exports had been 'watered down'. 'We cannot risk another outcome such as Australia where the value of the UK agri-food market access offer was nearly double what we got in return,' Eustice wrote after the conclusion of the fourth round of UK-India trade negotiations. His doubts emerged as the UK attempts to agree a multibillion-pound trade deal with India that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hailed on the side-lines of the G20 summit in Indonesia on Tuesday as a “fantastic opportunity” for Britain. Hopes of an agreement in time for the Hindu festival of Diwali last month took a hit after the home secretary Suella Braverman expressed “reservations” that the deal may lead to increased immigration — drawing an angry reaction from New Delhi. It has long been know that what India want from any deal is 'Visas, visas & visas'

As Bojo flies to India in Jan 21 to try to do deal, ex Austrailian PM says this is the'Biggest Bucket of Bollocks so far (apologies for language).

The Scotch whisky sector want to increase sales to India, from around £100m but face a tariff of around 150%. The EU is their largest market at £1.2b. 'Hard liquor' is one of our biggest exports - making up around 40% of our food/drink exports. If we try to get rid of their tariff India says that any trade deal would have to involve 'increased free movement' of Indian people to the UK. Also, "The UK should be prepared to relax EU rules on food standards and chemical safety as part of a new trading relationship with India, according to an unreleased report by the British and Indian governments...which identified "a range of non-tariff barriers to trade, including limits on fungicides in basmati rice, and the enforcement of food hygiene standards for milk and dairy products such as paneer" More from Unearthed

Food Safety Concerns raised in Cabinet
"India has been criticised in the past for their heavy use of pesticides in food production, which was one of several reasons trade negotiations between India and the EU stalled after seven rounds of negotiations.

“George (Eustice) is certainly in favour of free trade, but he has expressed concerns about India’s food safety standards and how they would affect a trade deal,” a senior Department of International trade source said.

The International Agreements Committee notes that India’s growing economy and expanding middle class with an appetite for specialised education, insurance and healthcare services, provide significant opportunities for UK businesses and the services sector. It therefore welcomes the negotiations but warns that they pose significant challenges that are not adequately reflected in the Government’s Negotiating Objectives or wider strategic approach...the Government could risk giving up a good deal for a fast one by setting a time ambition over and above content. July 22

Securing a commitment from India to lower India’s 150 percent federal tariffs on Scotch whisky has also proven difficult in negotiations, said a person close to the talks. “The Indians know that it is one of the main offensive interests for the U.K.,” they said. “As a result, they are using it as leverage to secure a good outcome on their offensive interests.” Aug 22

Johnson visit, escaping Partygate April 22, to India. International Trade Secretary "Trevelyan has said she has a commitment from Delhi to double the current £22bn of trade between the countries by 2030. Cutting tariffs on exports of British-made cars and Scotch whisky are her priority. That appears possible, but a full trade deal seems many years away yet. The history of India’s trade policy is that it is easier to achieve a memorandum of understanding than a full trade deal.”

Leave agriculture out of India deal says LandworkersUK

"The British government has already negotiated a deal to export British apples and pears, that would usually be made into juice in the UK, to India. However, Indian farmers also grow apples and pears, and new imports could damage their domestic market.

Farm groups push to make sure standards are maintained The "Government’s own impact assessment has projected that there will be a fall of around £10m in domestic agricultural output if an agreement is reached." There are concerns about standards and pesticides.

Pesticide spike in UK food if Inda deal hurried say PAN & Sustain. "India currently allows the use of 62 percent more ‘Highly Hazardous Pesticides’ (HHPs) than the UK.

Norway

Not going well "A comprehensive trade deal with Norway is at risk of being lost amid a move to block any agreement by the country's Christian Democrat party (Krf). The Krf fear any trade deal with the UK may impact farmers in Norway and put them out of business due to the wave of British meat and cheese. One insider of the party warned there was no goodwill from the Krf to agree to a tariff-free regime. "

New Zealand

August: New Zealand's deputy prime minister said Britain is not 'match fit' for international negotiations as he blamed Johnson and his team for slow progress towards post-Brexit agreements. "Trade Secretary Liz Truss is believed to be insisting on better terms for agricultural exports, and Stilton in particular".!?!

Their deputy Prime Minister said: "It's like a cricketer who hasn't played for 30 years (referring to last time we negotiated our own deals) and then expecting to win the Ashes. In terms of their trading skills and finesse and their firepower – without being critical – they've never had an outing lately."

UK agrees trade deal with New Zealand "Labour and the National Farmers Union (NFU) said the deal could hurt UK farmers and lower food standards. But International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said it "affords opportunities in both directions for great sharing of produce" and British farmers should not be worried....Only a tiny proportion of UK trade is done with New Zealand, less than 0.2%". According to Emily Thornberry reading from the Scoping Report said the quotas on incoming meat are so high as to threaten UK farming.

“It is a deal whose only major winners are the mega-corporations who run New Zealand’s meat and dairy farms, all at the expense of British farmers who are already struggling to compete. But for British jobs, growth and exports, this deal is yet another massive failure.”

'Blow for UK Dairy industry' The NFU warned it contained "little discernible benefit" for farmers in the UK, as it would "open our doors to significant extra volumes of imported food. The National Sheep Association (NSA) also highlighted concern that the free trade agreement risked undermining the UK sheep sector's high standards. Now the dairy sector has raised concern, namely over skewed market opportunities, the impact on sustainability and the lack of collaboration between government and farmers. Dairy UK, a trade association for the dairy supply chain, said the New Zealand trade deal was a "blow for UK dairy." "This agreement will see tariffs eliminated over five years," said Dr Judith Bryans, who is chief executive of the industry body. According to the New Zealand government's statistics, dairy is the country's biggest export earner – worth about NZ$19 billion a year.

UK government "expects Brexit trade deal with New Zealand to hurt British farmers.

Department for International Trade describes £150 million hit as ‘reallocation of resources within the economy’" March 22.

Even Kiwi television reporting couldn’t believe it. One report opened with: “A world away from rejoicing Kiwi farmers, their [British] counterparts feel they are the sacrificial lambs of the free trade deal.”

"The recent outline agreement for the UK to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is expected to have little impact on New Zealand’s exports to the UK, given the existing bilateral trade agreement in place." It is noticeable that there has been a decline in lamb exports to UK form NZ, from around 16% of their exports to about 10% in the fiver years 2018-22 compared with 5 previous years.

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