Welsh farmers say Boris Johnson's Australia trade deal is going to be catastrophic

Welsh farmers say they've "grave concerns" a trade deal between the UK and Australia might be "catastrophic for animal welfare, the environment, our family farms and our food security".

The deal may be the first to be negotiated on your own because the UK left the EU.

While the deal continues to be agreed between Pm Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in a meeting in Downing Street the final Agreement in Principle won't be published for a number of days.

Downing Street has however said that British items like cars, Scotch whisky, biscuits and ceramics will be cheaper to market into Australia, boosting UK industries that employ 3.5 million people across the country.

British farmers is going to be protected by a cap on tariff-free imports for Fifteen years, using tariff rate quotas along with other safeguards. We're also supporting agricultural producers to improve their exports overseas, including to new markets within the Indo-Pacific. Brits younger than 35 can travel and work in Australia more freely, opening exciting opportunities for young adults. Export times will be reduced, it says.

In their pr release announcing details, Downing Street say: "The free trade deal will eliminate tariffs on Australian favourites like Jacob's Creek and Hardys wines, swimwear and confectionery, boosting option for British consumers and saving households up to lb34 million a year."

In give it back says the offer will discover a 5% tariff on Scotch whisky removed, will help the 450 businesses in Wales who exported to Australia last year, in particular life science companies and chemicals manufacturers and it will simplify customs procedures and tariffs for Northern Irish products.

In response, the Farmers' Union of Wales has called on Wales' MPs to scrutinise the balance fully in the Commons.

FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “We have grave concerns that we will finish track of a deal that's catastrophic for animal welfare, environmental surroundings, our family farms and our food security – which will be set in stone.

Mr Roberts said MPs need to take extremely seriously the warnings concerning the implications of a trade deal that sets the united kingdom on a permanent legally binding course to spread out us as much as food produced to lower environmental and welfare standards and undermines our food security and the viability of family farms.

Over the last month the FUW has written to the Pm and met with Government Ministers and MPs from across Wales, highlighting the major differences between UK and Australian standards and the economic damage cheap food imports could cause to the family farms.

The union has also written to the Welsh Affairs Committee asking it to conduct an inquiry into the implications of a bad deal for Wales' farmers, food standards and rural communities.

“We have made it clear during our meetings as well as in correspondence with all of Welsh MPs that we are not opposed to a UK-Australia deal, but we are in opposition to a harmful deal that makes way for further deals that add to that damage,” he said.