Australia trade deal: Welsh farmers' fears to be raised with Gove

There are fears the Welsh lamb industry could suffer from cheaper Australian imports

Concerns that a UK-Australia trade deal could hurt Welsh farmers will be raised by Mark Drakeford with senior UK minister Michael Gove later.

Welsh farmers warn they could struggle to compete if Australian agriculture gains tariff-free access to UK markets.

The first minister told the Senedd he wanted to be "clear" in the meeting about views in Wales on the matter.

Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price said Wales should "stand as one" against a "dangerous template" for Welsh farming.

Mr Drakeford will bring up the fears over the deal at the regular meeting between Mr Gove and the first ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

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Currently imports from Australia face tariffs, making products such as beef and lamb more expensive to buy in the UK.

Following the UK's exit from the EU, the UK has sought to sign free trade deals with other countries which would remove or lower tariffs.

The Department for International Trade has insisted any deal signed with Australia would "not undercut UK farmers or compromise our high standards".

During Wednesday's Prime Minister's Questions, Boris Johnson accused a Plaid Cymru MP who suggested a deal would hurt UK farmers of having "no ambition" for the people of Wales.

Hywel Williams urged Mr Johnson to rule out tariff-free access for Australian beef and lamb imports.

Mr Williams said that before a visit to Wales in 2019 Mr Johnson had said he would "always back Britain's great farmers".

"Now it looks as if he's backing Australia's farmers instead," said Mr Williams.

Boris Johnson accused Plaid Cymru MP Hywel Williams of lacking ambition for Welsh farmers

The prime minister responded: "I will back British farmers and Welsh farmers in exporting their fantastic lamb around the world.

"It's a disgrace that not a single morsel of Welsh lamb has surpassed the lips of the Americans in the last 20 years or more.

"What about China? Has he no ambition for the people of this country or for the people of Wales or for Welsh farmers?"

However, Mr Johnson's Environment Secretary George Eustice has raised a number of concerns about the deal with Australia trading away UK farmers' interests.

One compromise Mr Eustice has suggested is to negotiate quotas on Australian meat imports - so that only a limited amount could be tariff-free.

Last month both Australia and the UK said they hoped to agree a trade deal by June

During Welsh Questions in the Commons, Secretary of State for Wales Simon Hart insisted that "as far as the rumours around the Australia FTA [free trade agreement]" are concerned "no deal has been done, but if and when it is done it will include protections for the agricultural industry and will not under-cut UK farmers or compromise our high standards".

On Tuesday John Davies, president of NFU Cymru, warned that "from a Welsh perspective we're a country of small family farms and the beef and lamb industries are incredibly important to us".

"It's absolutely vital that our ambition to lead on standards, on climate change and welfare-friendly food are not undercut," he said.

"This trade deal will set the bar for future trade deals so it's incredibly important we get this right."

Farmers' Union of Wales President Glyn Roberts echoed his views, saying: "It's very clear that the British public is opposed to opening the flood gates to produce from countries where farmers do not have to comply with the high standards we have here."

'Extremely proud' of food safety standards

Wales' economy and rural affairs ministers have also called on their counterparts in Westminster to ensure a UK-Australia trade deal does not disadvantage Welsh farmers.

Economy Minister Vaughan Gething said on Tuesday the Welsh Government had been "very clear... any new trade deals must not cause an un-level playing field, by giving food importers with lower standards an economic advantage in our market compared to our own producers."

Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths added that she was "extremely proud of the high food safety standards we have here in Wales".

"No trade agreement should ever undermine that or our domestic legislation and the Welsh government has consistently made this point to the UK government," she said.