'Importing delicious Aussie beef is WIN-WIN' Brexiteer mocks free trade scaremongering
A BREXITEER has mocked free trade scaremongering, dubbing Aussie beef a “WIN-WIN” after Australia drew up plans to demand Britain accepts hormone-infected meat as part of a trade deal.
Daniel Hannan, a Conservative MEP wrote on Twitter: “Allowing imports of delicious Australian beef isn't a favour to Australia.
"It's a favour to ourselves, which happens incidentally to help our allies and cousins Down Under. #FreeTrade is win-win.”
His comments come after international Trade Secretary Liam Fox dubbed the deal an early “win” and claimed it will reduce costs for British consumers.
Brits will be told to scrap a 36-year EU ban on meat sold from cattle injected with growth hormones.
Allowing imports of delicious Australian beef isn't a favour to Australia. It's a favour to ourselves, which happens incidentally to help our allies and cousins Down Under. #FreeTrade is win-win
The practice can increase their weight gain by more than 10 per cent a day, cutting the time it takes to fatten the animals for market.
The EU claims that at least one of the growth hormones used on the animals causes cancer and their use has been banned since 1981.
But Australia attacked the ban, saying that is is an attempt to shelter European farmers from competitors alongside levies of 12.8 per cent.
Discussions have been taking place for 18 months, and sources have said that lifting the ban is a key issue for Australia, who argue it violates World Trade Organisation rules.
Australia’s position is backed by the Australian meat industry, which has been pushing for access to UK markets that were lost when Britain joined the EU.
In a briefing paper for ministers, Australia warned: “[Our] producers will struggle to materially increase supply to the UK market” if Britain imposed the hormone regulations after leaving the EU.”
Meat exporter, JBS Australia, said: “In our view, the guiding principles for the Australian negotiators must be expanding access for Australian red meat through reducing technical and tariff barriers.
“When dealing with these trade barriers, this must be science based and consistent with WTO obligations. This is critical to establishing separate arrangements for the UK.”
Although the government has ruled out the import of chlorine-washed chicken on the grounds of animal welfare, a stance hasn’t yet been taken on hormone-treated beef.
A spokesman for the Department for International Trade said: “This government has been very clear that the UK will maintain its own high animal welfare and environmental standards in future free trade agreements. To say anything else is untrue.”