UK approves tariff-free meat imports from Australia and NZ

The UK and EU have ratified a change to the Windsor Framework which allows NI businesses to make greater use of UK trade deals.

The change allows tariff-free imports of certain meat products from Australia and New Zealand.

The government says the deal addresses a post-Brexit problem where NI businesses importing higher-tariff meat products could not use the arrangements covering the rest of the UK.

It means more than 13,000 tons of lamb, beef, and poultry imports will now be covered by UK tariff rate quotas.

Tariffs are effectively trade taxes which are applied to imports of some goods.

A tariff rate quota means a certain amount of product can be imported tariff free every year while imports above that limit have tariffs applied.

Minister of State for Northern Ireland Steve Baker said it was a unique arrangement which would allow NI importers to benefit from UK free trade agreements.

He said this would “further cement Northern Ireland’s place in the UK”.

“The arguments for free trade will always run, I‘m firmly on the free trade side of the argument but what I would say is that all these trade deals do include provisions which make sure that we don’t end up swamped with cheap produce.”