AQW 26547/17-22

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 29/11/2021
Answered On Date: 10/12/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail any conversations he has had with the Westminster Government regarding the impact of the New Zealand-UK trade deal on local farming.

Answer:

The UK Government came to an agreement in principle with Australia on a free trade agreement on 15 June 2021 and with New Zealand on 20 October 2021. While there will be aspects of these agreements that will benefit Northern Ireland exporters, I am concerned that they do not provide adequate protection for UK agricultural producers.

I have consistently made my concerns clear to UK Government on these issues in correspondence regarding both the New Zealand and Australia Agreements in Principle. I sent a letter to George Eustice on 1 November 2021 in which I raised my opposition to tariff liberalisation for sensitive products and asked that the UK Government reconsider the approach that is being taken following the announcement of the Agreement in Principle for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with New Zealand. In addition to this, my officials have maintained discussion with their counterparts in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Department for International Trade (DIT) and raised concerns regarding the impact that the proposed Australia and New Zealand Free Trade Agreements could have on UK and Northern Ireland agricultural producers.

I have long maintained that tariff and quota protection must be retained for sensitive agricultural products and have emphasised the importance of this to UK Government Ministers. I have written to Defra Secretary of State George Eustice to express my strong opposition to the prospect of a zero tariff, zero quota Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the UK and Australia. I have also met with, and subsequently wrote to the Minister of State for Trade Policy, Greg Hands MP to outline my concerns. I also wrote jointly with the Scottish Minister to the then Secretary of State for International Trade, Liz Truss MP and I will continue to pursue these matters with the Government.