NSA Chief Executive writes letter regarding the threat of new UK trade deals
21st January 2022
Recently, NSA Chief Executive Phil Stocker wrote to Farmers Weekly and Farmers Guardian regarding the threat posed to sheep farmers by new trade deals being struck with the UK. The letter is published in Friday 21st January's edition of both publications, and available to read below.
Since the UK’s departure from the EU much has been said about the risk of new trade deals, resulting in agriculture being sacrificed for greater gain in other industries.
Britain has set its stall out as being a world leader in environmental and animal welfare standards. All Defra Ministers have assured that these standards will be upheld by not allowing imports produced in ways not permitted in Britain.
Despite these successive assurances we are now close to finalising a deal with Australia, a deal that will do exactly what Ministers promised it wouldn’t, and a trade deal with New Zealand will follow on soon after. With Australia and New Zealand being the world’s largest sheepmeat exporters, our sheep farmers are under serious threat by these deals.
We could draw some comfort from industry discussions over the last year and more, where all players within the sheepmeat industry: farmers, auctioneers, processors and abattoirs, wholesalers, and retailers have been in unison in their opposition to trade deals which allow the import of lower standard and cheaper products. I’ve not heard anyone speak up and say they are comfortable with it or that it will bring benefits.
So, the deal will soon be done that will immediately allow 25,000 tonnes of Australian lamb to come to the UK, compared to 15,000 tonnes currently, and in 10 years’ time this will have risen to 75,000 tonnes with the potential of rising further to 125,000 tonnes by year 15.
But once the deal has been through its final stages Australia wont simply speculate and send boatloads in our direction. Someone will have to order it first, a decision that would surely tug on the consciences of anyone who suddenly changes their mind to think it’s a good idea. The message should be clear - lamb not produced to the standards our farmers must meet won’t come here unless someone is prepared to order it and place it on our market.
British sheep farmers, operating to some of the highest environmental and animal welfare standards in the world, should be the supplier of choice all year round with quality products that meet our principles, contributing to self-sufficiency, upholding our principles, and reducing transport related carbon footprints.
Yours sincerely,
Mr Phil Stocker,
NSA Chief Executive
