Cautious welcome for new tariff schedule which protects key agricultural products

An earlier schedule put together for a no-deal Brexit scenario had protected fewer agricultural products.

Tenant Farmers’ Association (TFA) chief executive George Dunn said: “This is a complex area which will need careful scrutiny.

“However, it seems to land us in a much better position than would have been the case if the Government’s previously published tariff schedule, announced towards the end of last year, had come into effect.

“We are pleased the Government has recognised that UK farmers would have faced significant difficulties from tariff liberalisation and that it has therefore struck a balance between producer interests and consumer interests by maintaining tariffs on most agricultural products.”

Watered down

Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) president Glyn Roberts echoed these comments, but warned the tariffs must not be ‘watered down’.

“We need to maintain tariffs at rates which protect our farmers and food security and give us negotiating capital when discussing trade deals,” he said.

Mark Bridgeman, CLA president, also welcomed the tariff protection for key products.

“We should support new free trade deals which could grow the economy and boost UK trade, and have confidence in our market and standards in these negotiations,” he added.