National Sheep Association (NSA) is astonished by the continued dismissal by the Government of the detrimental impact the UK-Australia trade deal will have on UK Farming.
 
Following the Department for International Trade’s (DIT) own impact assessment which states a ‘reallocation of resources away from agriculture, forestry, and fishing’ of around £94 million, the Association is pressing for proper and urgent scrutiny of the deal by Parliament and the Trade and Agriculture Commission (TAC).

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“NSA insists that it is essential MPs get a meaningful vote on this deal and that the views of the TAC are properly recognised. This will be a test case for democracy in relation to trade deals - crucial because they will be for the long term. The next stage of this process cannot be a rubber-stamping exercise otherwise the Government’s support from rural constituencies will fall further.”
 
This statement follows a call by NSA last week, for the use of a licensing procedure to manage seasonality disruption and the use of a whole carcase weight co-efficient to help manage high volumes of single and boned out cuts of lamb.
 
Along with the increase in Tariff Rate Quotas (TRQs) for lamb which the deal will bring, the reallocation of resources away from the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sectors is another unwelcome element of the UK-Australia deal which will place increasing strain upon the UK’s food and farming industries.