CIEH responds to Welsh Affairs Committee’s report on Australia FTA
The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has welcomed the new report from the House of Commons’ Welsh Affairs Committee (WAC) on the UK’s Free Trade Agreement with Australia, stating that it shares many of the concerns raised.
The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the UK and Australia will be the first major trade deal negotiated by the UK government since Brexit. Following five years of negotiations, both countries published an Agreement in Principle (AIP) on 17th June 2021.
The Welsh Affairs Committee’s report outlines some initial conclusions, concerns and recommendations, as the UK government finalises the Australian trade deal and pursues future trade deals with countries such as New Zealand and members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Key recommendations from the report include clarification on agricultural safeguards, a plan to work with the Welsh government to improve the productivity and sustainability of the farming and food sector, and a commitment to respond to and publish the Trade and Agriculture Commission’s (TAC) report into the trade deal.
“Government should clarify conditions”
The committee’s report stated that they are “alert to the concerns of Welsh farmers that the gradual removal of tariffs on Australian beef and lamb potentially poses a competitive threat.” However, the removal of these tariffs, the report said, is “unlikely to manifest in the short term.”
The report stated: “The UK government should clarify, in the explanatory memorandum accompanying the final treaty text, what conditions would need to be met for agricultural safeguards to be applied in years 10–15 after the agreement comes into force.”
In response to the report, WAC added, the UK government should also explain how it intends to work with the Welsh government to ensure that its wider trade strategy is coherent with ambitions to make farming more productive and sustainable.
The report further commented on the committee’s concern over the statutory Trade and Agriculture Commission (TAC) and how is not yet operational. WAC have urged the UK government to set up the TAC as soon as possible. The TAC, the committee added, must include at least one member who understands and has direct experience of the agricultural and regulatory landscape of Wales.
“We share the WAC’s concerns”
CIEH has previously called for the UK government to commit to upholding and enhancing the UK’s food and animal welfare standards as part of any new trade deal.
Kate Thompson, CIEH Wales director, said: “This is a timely report and we welcome the findings and recommendations. We share concerns that the UK government has not responded to the March 2021 report by the Trade and Agriculture Commission (TAC) which identified a list of core standards that should be safeguarded in future trade deals.”
She continued: “Whilst we welcome the establishment of a new, statutory TAC to ensure future trade deals do not undermine UK standards on food, animal welfare and the environment, we are concerned it will not be in place before the Australia trade deal is done. The new TAC should be given the opportunity to scrutinise trade deals at an early stage and certainly before they are signed.”
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