Australia FTA: Food and Agriculture

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 9 Nov 2021 Closed: 9 Nov 2022 Parliament page
The Government published the text of its Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Australia on 16 December 2021. The followed the publication of the agreement in principle in June 2021. The UK-Australia FTA is the first new trade deal negotiated “from scratch”/ that the UK Government will have signed since leaving … Read more
13 Recommendations
3 Conclusions
1 Report
6 Oral sessions
2 Letters
7 Events
Activity timeline 11 events
12 Oct
2022
Report published
12 Oct
2022
Correspondence
22 Jun
2022
Correspondence
17 Jun
2022
Report published
14 Jun
2022
Formal meeting (private meeting) · Room 5, Palace of Westminster
11 May
2022
Oral evidence
11 May
2022
Oral evidence
29 Mar
2022
Oral evidence
8 Mar
2022
Oral evidence
23 Feb
2022
Oral evidence
8 Feb
2022
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 6 sessions
11 May 2022
View on parliament.uk
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Chris Heaton · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs James Clarke · Department for International Trade Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt · Department for International Trade Victoria Prentis · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
11 May 2022
View on parliament.uk
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Professor Lorand Bartels · Trade and Agriculture Commission
29 Mar 2022
View on parliament.uk
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Dr Chris Kebbell · New Zealand High Commission His Excellency The Hon Bede Corry · New Zealand High Commission His Excellency the Honourable George Brandis QC · Australian High Commission Kieran Macdonell · Australian High Commission
8 Mar 2022
View on parliament.uk
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Andrew Opie · British Retail Consortium (BRC) Anna Sands · WWF James Russell · British Veterinary Association Kate Nicholls · UKHospitality Ms Orla Delargy · Sustain Sue Davies MBE · Which?
23 Feb 2022
View on parliament.uk
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Emily Rees · European Centre for International Political Economy Professor Fiona Smith · University of Leeds Professor Louise Manning · Royal Agricultural University Sarah Baker · Disability Unit Sarah Baker · Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board
8 Feb 2022
View on parliament.uk
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Mr Phil Stocker · National Sheep Association Neil Shand · National Beef Association Nick von Westenholz · National Farmers' Union Peter Hardwick · British Meat Processors Association
Title HC No. Published Items Response
First report - Australia FTA: Food and Agriculture HC 23 17 Jun 2022 16 Response document linked
Recommendations & Conclusions
16 results
1 Conclusion
First report - Australia FTA: Food…
We understand the concerns that UK cattle and sheep farmers have raised about the impact...
We understand the concerns that UK cattle and sheep farmers have raised about the impact of additional competition from Australian imports under the UK-Australian FTA, but other witnesses advised us that the immediate risk appears to be limited. However, as … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
View details
2 Recommendation
First report - Australia FTA: Food…
While the Government has argued that it has secured three safeguards to protect farmers it...
While the Government has argued that it has secured three safeguards to protect farmers it appears to us that only the general bilateral safeguard mechanism offers any real protection. The volumetric safeguards would only kick in if there were a … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
View details
3 Recommendation
First report - Australia FTA: Food…
In future negotiations the Government should ensure that its approach to negotiating changes to tariff...
In future negotiations the Government should ensure that its approach to negotiating changes to tariff free access to the UK meat market is more sophisticated than just weight of gross products and can differentiate between different cuts of meat—by using … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
View details
4 Recommendation
First report - Australia FTA: Food…
While the potential for increased agri-food exports from the UK-Australia FTA deal appears modest, the...
While the potential for increased agri-food exports from the UK-Australia FTA deal appears modest, the UK Government must support the food and farming industry to take maximum advantage of the opportunities that do exist. We welcome the Government’s plans to … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
View details
5 Recommendation
First report - Australia FTA: Food…
Given the Government estimates that the net impact of the deal across all agriculture and...
Given the Government estimates that the net impact of the deal across all agriculture and food related sectors is a reduction of £278m, we believe the Government should aid the sector to increase the value of UK food and drink … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
View details
6 Recommendation
First report - Australia FTA: Food…
We welcome the innovation of including an animal welfare chapter, in the UK- Australia trade...
We welcome the innovation of including an animal welfare chapter, in the UK- Australia trade deal but we believe that the Government should have pushed further on improving animal welfare standards. This was a missed opportunity for the UK and … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
View details
7 Recommendation
First report - Australia FTA: Food…
The Trade and Agriculture Commission has concluded that there is likely to be an increase...
The Trade and Agriculture Commission has concluded that there is likely to be an increase in the import of products from Australia produced at lower cost by using pesticides that would not be permitted in the UK. We call upon … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
View details
8 Recommendation
First report - Australia FTA: Food…
We welcome the approach that the UK Government has taken to protecting the UK’s SPS...
We welcome the approach that the UK Government has taken to protecting the UK’s SPS requirements within negotiations on the UK-Australia FTA. It will be essential that the UK robustly maintains this position in negotiations with future trade partners who … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
View details
9 Conclusion
First report - Australia FTA: Food…
We welcome the commitment that the Minister made to ensuring that UK trade deals protect...
We welcome the commitment that the Minister made to ensuring that UK trade deals protect the natural environment through a non-regression obligation on relevant regulations and standards that is enforceable with sanctions for non-compliance. We call upon the UK Government … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
View details
10 Recommendation
First report - Australia FTA: Food…
However, it is regrettable that these provisions are not enforceable through the dispute resolution process...
However, it is regrettable that these provisions are not enforceable through the dispute resolution process if changes are made at the state level. In future deals the Government should seek to ensure environmental provision are binding on all levels of … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
View details
11 Recommendation
First report - Australia FTA: Food…
It is regrettable that the Government chose to engage in this negotiation without first articulating...
It is regrettable that the Government chose to engage in this negotiation without first articulating the core standards that the food imported into the UK must meet. Setting out core standards would have strengthened the hand of British negotiators, reassured … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
View details
12 Recommendation
First report - Australia FTA: Food…
While we believe the Government could have gone further in the UK-Australia FTA on standards,...
While we believe the Government could have gone further in the UK-Australia FTA on standards, it has the opportunity, through the various forums created under the agreement, to continue to discuss environmental and animal welfare issues with Australia as part … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
View details
13 Recommendation
First report - Australia FTA: Food…
The Government risks negotiating with one hand tied behind its back if it does not...
The Government risks negotiating with one hand tied behind its back if it does not take full advantage of the knowledge and intelligence that the UK sector can provide to support negotiations. The description of the agri-food Trade Advisory Group … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
View details
14 Recommendation
First report - Australia FTA: Food…
As the Government has accepted, its Impact Assessment of the UK-Australia FTA is based on...
As the Government has accepted, its Impact Assessment of the UK-Australia FTA is based on a relatively limited model of its likely consequences for farming and other sectors of the economy. We welcome the Government’s review of how to improve … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
View details
15 Conclusion
First report - Australia FTA: Food…
We found the TAC’s report extremely helpful and thank Professor Bartels, and his colleagues, for...
We found the TAC’s report extremely helpful and thank Professor Bartels, and his colleagues, for their work. We are concerned that Professor Bartels had to use university funds to support the TAC’s work on the Australia FTA. It is essential … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
View details
16 Recommendation
First report - Australia FTA: Food…
We welcome the Government’s assertion that the UK-Australia FTA does not provide a blueprint for...
We welcome the Government’s assertion that the UK-Australia FTA does not provide a blueprint for future agreements. Nevertheless, we recognise the food and farming sector’s concerns that other major agricultural exporting nations may seek to use the existence of this … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
View details
Correspondence 2 letters
12 Oct 2022 Correspondence from the Chair to Defra and DIT SoS re Australia FTA Govt response
Parliament page
22 Jun 2022 To committee Letter from the Secretary of State for International Trade to the Chair regarding the formal pre-ratification scrutiny of the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement Treaty, dated 14 June
Parliament page