Deal or no deal?

Like it or not, Donald Trump’s tariffs and trade agreements are bad news for British farmers, says Clodhopper

What is it about us older farmers? Do we just not understand stuff? Has our thought process slowed down so much we are losing touch with reality?

Having briefly read the statement by Keir Starmer, I cannot for the life of me see how the UK-US trade deal announced by London and Washington will benefit British industry or farming – let alone consumers.

So far, details are lacking. Neither the Americans nor the British governments have published any worthwhile information about the agreement – or tariffs. At least not enough for us to make an informed decision on its implications.

Market access

The finer details are expected to be settled in the coming weeks, as politicians like to say. But it is already clear that anyone hoping Donald Trump will scale down his demands for more market access to the UK is likely to be disappointed.

The flat-rate across-the-board 10% tariff announced by Trump on UK goods imported into the USA remains. This is being lauded as a good thing – presumably because it is lower than the feared 25% tariff everyone else seems to be paying.

Rather than nothing, which would be sensible, the White House has – so it seems –merely agreed to scale down the levies it wanted to impose while claiming it has secured positive changes for sales of American beef into British markets.

And even though steelmakers and car manufacturers seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at the reduced tariff rate, it is still clear that tariffs will remain for some time to come. So everyone will pay the price for Trump’s political posturing.

Beef industry

The American Beef Association said it welcomed the new beef deal for America. But more work is needed. British beef farmers have not been so positive with many expressing concerns about the impact on our domestic beef industry.

Concerns voiced by farmers and consumers for a number of years centre on the food production methods used in the USA.

This includes hormone treated beef and chlorine washed chicken. Many agree that British farmers simply cannot compete with cheaper imports produced using methods that would be illegal here: hormone beef because of safety fears and chlorine chicken because it masks dirty farming practices.

True, the British public  might want cheaper food. But sometimes people also lack the understanding of where it comes from. Yes, the price of beef from my local butcher is considerably more than the supermarkets but it is also far superior in quality.

Ethanol

It’s not just about meat either. The removal of UK tariffs on American ethanol could be the final nail in the coffin for many bioethanol plants here in the UK. And that has implications for UK growers who keep them fed with wheat.

A recent statement from AB Foods chief executive George Weston said the company’s bioethanol plant in Hull has already faced significant problems due to subsidised ethanol imports.

Now we face a flood of tariff-free ethanol imports that will only make the situation worse. It seems the British government’s concessions on beef and ethanol were in return for favourable terms for steel and the car industry.

Once again, this government’s attitude and lack of understanding towards British farming rears its ugly head. No wonder a significant number of growers are warning that this harvest may be the final straw for many farms.