Boris Johnson is on a collision course with British farmers after throwing his support behind a 15-year transition to a zero-tariff, zero-quota trade deal
UK to offer Australian farmers tariff-free access - but not until 2037
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London | Australian beef, lamb and sugarcane farmers face a potentially long wait to crack the UK market, with Britain reportedly looking for a 15-year phase-in period for agriculture in the nearly-completed free-trade deal.
Prime Minister Boris Johnsonâs spokesman did not deny local media reports on Friday that a 15-year security blanket would be thrown over British farmers, after senior ministers had earlier clashed over the free-trade agreement (FTA).
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is keen to see an early Australia-UK FTA.Â
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Britainâs offer is reportedly to scrap all quotas and tariffs for Australian agricultural exporters - a major departure from the highly restrictive EU regime - but not until 2037, assuming the FTA comes into force next year.
The United Kingdom is expected to sign an ambitious liberalising trade pact with Australia, its first major new trade deal since leaving the EU, following a row between ministers on whether to open up the UK market to meat imports.
On Friday (21 May), UK officials confirmed that under the deal set to be offered to Australia, tariffs and quotas on goods trade between the two countries would be phased out over 15 years. Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes to conclude the deal before a G7 summit that he will host in June.
The ability to cut free trade pacts without the restraints of the EU was touted by Brexiteers as one of the main economic reasons to leave the bloc during and after the 2016 referendum on EU membership.