Three leading industry bodies have written to key ministers to underline the priorities for UK trade policy when the Prime Minister finally triggers Britain's withdrawal from the EU this week.
The British Retail Consortium, National Farmers Union of England and Wales and the Food & Drink Federation hope to work with government to agree common objectives and priorities for the UK's food trade policy environment post-Brexit. They have written to the secretary of states and ministers at the Department for Exiting the European Union, the Department for International Trade, Defra and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy to put their view across.
The letter points out that Britain cannot operate in isolation, and that farmers need access to feed and inputs as well as the chance to grow their business via exports. Retailers also need full year-round access to goods to balance seasonality and meet consumer demand.
To meet these objectives the coalition of trade bodies wants the government to:
- agree transitional arrangements that maintain frictionless trade in goods between the UK and EU, avoiding costly and disruptive customs checks, processes and procedures
- in the medium term, avoid customs duties on trade by securing an 'ambitious bilateral free trade agreement with the EU that delivers two-tway tariff-free trade'
- establish the UK as in independent member of the WTO, providing continuity and predictability by adopting the EU's current schedule of Most Favoured Nation bound tariff rates
- secure the benefits for UK traders of existing EU preferential trade arrangements, including the UK's fair share of tariff-rate quotas for agricultural imports, as well as any preferential access for UK food and drink imports
- engage in formal trade negotiations with third countries when the terms of the UK's future trading relations with the EU and other existing preferential trading partners are clear
- establish co-operation with third countries on regulatory equivalence and ensure that all new trade agreements take into consideration differences in regulations and standards when market access is negotiated
- consult with stakeholders and undertake detailed economic impact assessments when trade negotiations are opened and before any offers are exchanged
