UK protects farming less than EU, admits official

The UK aims to be less protective of its agriculture industry during international trade talks than the EU, the UK’s chief trade negotiation adviser has said.

Speaking at Westminster on Wednesday, Crawford Falconer acknowledged that the UK is more willing to lift restrictions on imports, particularly for agri-food products.

“Frankly, we aren’t quite as protectionist as the EU in this area. I think the government has been quite clear that it didn’t intend to be,” he said.

During the House of Lords committee meeting, Falconer defended his handling of trade talks with New Zealand (NZ) and maintained the negotiations were not rushed. “In terms of the scope of the agreement with NZ, it’s very difficult to imagine that if you had another month, let alone another year, the scope would be any different,” he said.

It comes after the EU recently concluded its own trade agreement with NZ, where less market access for most agri-food products was granted when compared to the UK’s deal.

However, Falconer was clear that taking more time to negotiate with NZ would not have resulted in a better deal for UK farmers.

“It’s not a question about whether more time would have made a difference. It’s a question about what the nature of the negotiation was,” he said.

Asian markets

Also speaking at the committee, International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said the UK should be approved to join the trans-Pacific trade agreement, known as CPTPP, by the end of the year.

The Conservative MP said it was “really important” for the UK to develop trade relationships with various countries in Asia that are part of CPTPP.

“That’s where we can see a large growth in middle class markets coming over the next 10-20 years.

“We want to make sure that UK businesses have the opportunity to access those markets,” she said.