British sheep farmers are concerned at the prospect of a possible free trade deal with the Australia following the decision to leave the European Union.
Neil Hesiltine, an upland sheep farmer, said that more sheep being imported from Australia and other commonwealth countries could only be a “bad thing for the British sheep industry."
He said that, as a sheep farmer, he would rather not see Australian sheep meat come into Britain.
"I’d not rather not see our supermarkets dealing with any of the Antipodean countries because it’s going to have an impact on our industry," Mr Hesiltine said.
A free trade proposal has caused alarm among National Sheep Association (NSA) members who fear a further increase in foreign lamb products.
NSA said Brexit needed to bring 'tighter controls' on Australian and New Zealand lamb.
They said a situation allowing new foreign products to be imported into UK retailers would make matters worse.
"Recent figures from Meat and Livestock Australia show the country produced 516,366 tonnes of lamb and 196,040 tonnes of mutton in 2015/16, exporting 56% of total lamb production (worth $1.78 billion) and 91% of mutton production ($700 million)," said Phil Stocker, NSA chairman.
"The main destinations were the Middle East, USA and China.
"The UK is currently an importer and exporter of lamb, which helps balance supply and demand through the year and exploits ideal sheep producing conditions in the UK," he said.
'Bad thing for the British sheep industry'
Australia currently has a quota to export just under 20,000 tonnes of sheep meat to the EU, which it fulfills every year.
With an annual production of more than 700,000 tonnes, the country is very keen to open up more trade opportunities and is seizing on Brexit as an opportunity to renegotiate its EU quota.
NSA believes more should be done to grow the UK domestic market and increase self-sufficiency in lamb production and consumption.
"Especially as we do not know what access we will have to EU markets in the future," Mr Stocker continued.
"We currently export around 36% of UK lamb, with France and the rest of the EU taking the majority of this. A priority for our sector is negotiating a trade deal with the EU post-Brexit.
"A free trade deal with Australia or New Zealand may be beneficial for some UK industries but could have a catastrophic effect on UK sheep farmers and we cannot sit back and be sacrificed for the benefit of others.
"Given the fundamental role our sheep sector has in maintaining the rural environment, landscape and community in the UK, we cannot afford to be overlooked in crucial trade negotiations.
"We encourage the UK Government to work hard on these deals, but not to rush into agreements without considering the wider consequences."
