In a letter to the prime minister shared with POLITICO, Britain’s farming unions, together with environmental and animal rights groups, raised “significant concerns” about the potential impact of further U.S. access to Britain’s agricultural commodities market on domestic food standards.
“U.K. farmers are proud to produce to some of the highest welfare and environmental standards in the world, standards we know are valued by U.K. consumers,” they wrote. “To ensure fairness across the economy, it is essential that these standards are not undermined by trade deals or regulatory decisions that give other sectors or foreign producers a competitive advantage.”
Farmers are also worried that the longer negotiations drag on, the more likely it is that the U.S. may go back on its promise to reallocate 13,000 metric tons of its “other countries” tariff rate quota for beef to the U.K. This reallocation had been set to take place “as quickly as possible and at the latest by 1 January 2026” but has yet to be implemented.
National Farmers’ Union President Tom Bradshaw said he feared British beef access could be deprioritized as other sectors of the economy, including steel, seek to reopen U.S. negotiations. “It is very worrying to reopen those conversations before the tariff rate quota has been signed off,” he said.
Meanwhile, Scottish lobbyists have not given up hope of a carveout for the scotch whisky industry, which they say will also prove beneficial for Kentucky bourbon makers that provide barrels to the U.K. whisky market. Asked about a potential scotch whisky deal in a recent interview, Starmer said: “Things are progressing and we’ve engaged on this heavily.”
Tech
Bryant said in a statement Monday that talks on non-tariff barriers — including in digital — are still ongoing.
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