CLA President discusses trade and tariffs on BBC Today Programme

CLA Deputy President Tim Breitmeyer

CLA President Tim Breitmeyer gave BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme a tour of his farm in Cambridgeshire last week, to explain the implications for British agriculture of a ‘hard Brexit’ scenario where the UK decided to unilaterally reduce all tariffs.

Speaking after the tour of his farm, Mr Breitmeyer said: “There is a big difference between free trade and a free-for-all. If the UK and EU fail to agree a free trade arrangement for agricultural goods and at the same time the UK government unilaterally reduced its tariffs on imports from anywhere in the world, it would be a perfect storm that would put jobs and livelihoods at risk.

“Free trade is in the best interests of consumers who will see the benefit of lower prices and the economic benefits of increased prosperity. We must seek to establish fair and equitable free trade deals with as many markets as possible. This is fundamentally different to a policy of unilateral removal of trade tariffs.

“It would also be a naïve move from a UK Government that has a stated ambition to strike new free trade deals with new markets. If trade tariffs are already zero what would you have to negotiate with?”

Some of the points discussed were featured on the Today Programme this morning, you can listen at:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qj9z/episodes/player