The deals with Australia and New Zealand are the UK’s first new bilateral trade deals since Brexit and will not replace existing deals with the EU. Many British goods are no longer subject to import duties in either country.
Trade in services and issuance of long-stay visas are facilitated.
However, the contracts are viewed critically, particularly in British agriculture. After a transition phase, all duties and taxes on lamb and beef imports into Great Britain are to be abolished.
British farmers fear they will be left behind by competition from much larger farms in Australia and New Zealand. They are also concerned about quality standards.
Additionally, it is doubtful whether the agreements will be economically viable. Even according to government calculations, the deal with Australia, for example, should bring economic growth of only 0.08 percent on a long-term basis by 2035.
Even George Eustice, a staunch Brexit supporter and former Environment Secretary of the ruling Conservative Party, criticized Britain for “giving too little”.
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