In a joint letter to the Prime Minister, the NFU and Dairy UK warn that increased US access to our food and drinks market risks destabilising UK markets, weakening domestic food security, undermining domestic standards and ultimately reducing the viability and profitability of many dairy farms.
The letter, sent ahead of US President Donald Trump鈥檚 state visit to the UK this week, accompanies a new NFU report which sets out the differences between the UK and US when it comes to economies of scale, production systems, welfare standards and attitudes to medicine usage and environmental obligations.
NFU Dairy Board Chair Paul Tompkins said:聽鈥淏ritish dairy is a huge success story and our ambition to grow the value of our sector is strong, making us natural partners in the government鈥檚 growth agenda. What sets our system apart is the weight we place on animal welfare, traceability and environmental care.
鈥淎s part of this, we have built a reputation of trust and confidence with shoppers, a fact echoed in the latest NFU Farmer Favourability survey which found that more than three quarters of the people surveyed trust British food more than food from the rest of the world. This is something we cannot take for granted.
鈥淔armers in the US operate under very different constraints. US dairy is produced on a vast scale under different regulatory regimes. Increased access for food imports which are not produced to the same high standards as we adhere to will not only erode the confidence of the public but will put UK dairy farming businesses at a competitive disadvantage.
聽鈥淚t is vital that the UK maintains its existing tariff protections when it comes to critical agricultural sectors.聽We have made that abundantly clear in our letter to the Prime Minister. The UK cannot continue to barter away domestic food security in pursuit of tariff reductions in other sectors which may never materialise, and which could simply take us back to the status-quo pre 鈥淟iberation Day.鈥� Successive trade deals with New Zealand, Australia and lately India have already seen significant access given to the UK鈥檚 highly valued dairy market. The future cumulative impact of these trade deals, in such a dynamic global trading environment, cannot be ignored.聽聽聽
鈥淯K farming can give no further concessions without suffering serious impacts to its viability and profitability. Any increased access given to the US in the Economic Prosperity Deal currently under negotiation could put our domestic dairy sector at risk. Both the NFU and Dairy UK urge the Prime Minister to hold firm.鈥�
Dr Judith Bryans, Chief Executive of Dairy UK, added: 鈥淏ritish dairy farmers and processors deliver world-class, nutritious products every day, produced to some of the highest welfare and environmental standards in the world. This success cannot be put at risk by a rushed or unbalanced trade deal that leaves our sector exposed to unfair competition from imports, produced under very different conditions. If UK dairy is to thrive as part of the Government鈥檚 growth agenda and we are to protect our own food security, all future agreements have to be fair, balanced and protect both consumer confidence and the long-term viability of our farmers and businesses.鈥澛�
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Notes to editor:
1.听听听听听听 Dairy in the UK is a 拢5.7bn cornerstone of the economy, with more than 10,000 active dairy farmers and, together with processing sites, supports around 70,000 jobs.聽