Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s cabinet is split between those who think a true free trade deal should sweep away all tariffs and quotas,and others who fear an influx of Australian meat will harm British farmers and want caps on how much fresh food can be imported into the UK.
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has been particularly critical,claiming a deal could destroy Britain’s rolling green countryside.
In a letter to all 365 Tory MPs sent on Wednesday (UK time),Australia’s High Commissioner George Brandis attacked “wild claims” used by the NFU to scuttle an agreement.
“Some of those claims are beyond absurd - for instance,the claim made in a Sunday newspaper that if the UK signs an ambitious free trade agreement with Australia,‘our green and pleasant land would become like the Australian outback’,” Brandis wrote.
Opponents also believe an open-slather deal with Australia would set a precedent for future negotiations with the United States,a major agricultural producer.
However,Brandis said there was “no possibility” of the UK market being saturated with Australian beef and lamb because most exporters target the Asian market and production is already at full capacity.