Before anyone gets the wrong end of the stick, cattle themselves will not be flying! Rather, if the Australian Trade Deal with the UK goes through, we can expect thousands of tonnes of Australian beef to arrive in Britain from next year. So what is the problem with that you may ask? Here is a little breakdown of this disastrous deal...
Australia has an enormous agricultural industry which profits from huge herd sizes and the ability to use farming and welfare methods which are illegal in the UK. When the UK left the EU, the government started setting up trade deals which is important for the national economy. The idea, or at least so farmers thought, was that we could control the import of agricultural products into the UK in order to boost the local agricultural industry, while also exporting to these country's: a fair deal for both parties.
A fair trade deal has many benefits, namely:
supporting British farmers and the local economy
making the UK more self-sufficient
dramatically reducing food miles
knowing exactly where our food has come from
having the assurance that these products are produced under the highest welfare and quality standards in the world.
creating strong, fair trading links with other countries, therefore building a healthier UK economy
The Australian government hoped for perhaps some access to the UK market, but were fully prepared for a cautious, more limited deal since it is in the UK's best interests to protect its own agricultural industry first.
However, the government had other ideas despite the NFUs tireless warnings. Instead, the UK government has offered Australia a zero tariff, open trade deal for no particular reason as far as anyone can work out, even the Australians themselves who cannot believe their luck. This means that Australia can ship its beef 24 hours across the globe and have exactly the same access as British farmers to stock our shelves. All this is despite the disparities underlined in this table:
| UK Beef Farming | Austrailian Beef Farming |
Average Herd Size | ||
Contribution to the UK economy | Goes to the Australian economy | |
Main differences in welfare and quality standards | RSPCA guidelines ensure animal welfare, Red Tractor guidelines ensure animals hormones are banned and UK farms have some of the 'lowest usage rates' of antibiotic use in the world | |
Impact of beef farming on the environment | Carbon footprint of beef in the UK is half the global average, UK part of extensive research being undertaken to reduce 'moothane' (methane emissions produced by cattle) by multiple institutions (Harper Adams, University of Reading, Durham University and more) | “livestock farming is creating the highest rates of deforestation in the OECD" - Angela Francis chief economics adviser of the WWF, wildfires place pressure on livestock: 143 million mammals died in the 2019-2020 wildfires (WWF) |
Distance from Farm to fork | Within the UK, a matter of hours | Several days by plane/ship |
Access to British market | Open | Open |
While there are many more complexities to both the UK and the Australian market, and this article does not seek to discount the hard work of either party, it briefly underlines the ludicrousy of placing these markets toe to toe. Hopefully it is easy to see why this has rather infuriated and distressed those who care about British farming, the environment and welfare standards.
Australian beef farmers have average herd sizes of between 450-1500 cattle, where a British farmer averages 28-50. Australia has the scale to host such large herds where in the UK, farmers have less land and many more 'rules and regs' to contend with. While this means that UK farmers produce less beef, the quality is that much higher: quantity over quality is needed in a world where so much already goes to waste.
Additionally, UK farmers have extremely strict rules and welfare structures to follow. The Australian structure is totally different. The standards set in Australia would be deemed illegal against UK beef standards. And yet, the UK government laughed at the NFUs suggestion to push Australia to match UK welfare standards. Instead, UK farmers will have to maintain their standards, their smaller herd sizes and with it, higher price points to cover the cost, while competing against lower welfare-standard, higher quantity, cheap Australian beef which has flown 24 hours across the world to get to our shelves. While British farmers are working towards Net Zero by 2040, Australian beef is totting up thousands of air miles, "creating the highest rates of deforestation in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)" (Angela Francis, chief economics adviser - WWF) and will most likely be landing on our shelves at a cheaper price.
If you think this sounds ridiculous and unfair, that is because it is. Despite the NFU and others' work in trying to make the government see sense, they are soon to give away an industry worth £2.8 billion for free.
So what can be done? In terms of policy, not much unless the government see sense. Farmers are distraught at this as they feel they are being sold down the river. Despite their tireless efforts to follow government guidelines on welfare, safety and the environment, the government have completely stabbed us in the back. We can only hope that the British public, supermarkets and the food industry will rally to (literally) save British farming; such is the precarity of the situation.
Farmers are not ignorant as to the importance of trade deals, far from it as we have been successfully trading for decades with the EU and others. Equally they do not wish to speak against others in the international farming community who also work hard for their trade. However this deal could spell the end of the British beef industry and that is the opposite of what trade if designed for; it should boost local industry while opening up new markets for others to join.
The UK government have now set the bar so low, and opened our markets so wide, that everyone else will want the same. They are soon to open the flood gates to New Zealand, with completely open trade to send thousands of tonnes of lamb from the other side of the world, while the best quality lamb is being grown just around the corner. British farmers cannot compete with this and will disappear. In her article on this disastrous deal, Minette Batters (NFU president) neatly sums up the magnitude of error by the government: 'never have we lost so much for so little' - Winston Churchill.
**February 2022 A later addition to this article: in later months, this deal was passed despite the best efforts of the NFU and the exasperation of British farmers.
It should also be reaffirmed that this article does not in any way attempt to vilify Australian farmers who work tirelessly as all farmers do across the world. We all have differing farm techniques to serve different purposes. Rather, this article attempts to underline the fault of the UK government in creating unfair competition between British and Australian farmers through no fault of either party.**
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