Brexit 2017: Farmers express fear of unrestricted imports of foreign food

A number of farming leaders in the United Kingdom have expressed their fear about the prospect of unrestricted imports of foreign food as a result of post-Brexit trade deals.  But in his recent address to the WTO, Dr Fox said international trade is the 'lifeblood' of the British economy, the 'driver of prosperity', and that commerce is part of the 'UK's national DNA.'Dr Fox told trade envoys during a meeting in Geneva: "The UK will work towards the reduction and ultimate elimination of trade barriers wherever they are found." The National Sheep Association, particularly, has raised concerns about any such free trade deal with Australia.Chief executive Phil Stocker said he was “seriously alarmed” at the possibility of a completely free trade deal with a country that was a global sheep meat exporter. He said it could be “catastrophic” for British sheep farmers.“The UK sheep sector is already suffering unacceptably high levels of imports of New Zealand lamb, much of which is sourced by retailers at times of the year when UK product is in plentiful supply. We would be keen to see an outcome of Brexit being tighter controls on New Zealand lamb being allowed into this country, and we certainly need to avoid making the situation worse by allowing Australian product to head our way too,” he said.However, during a speech to the Australian-British Chamber of Commerce in Sydney, Lord Hill said: "As protectionist sentiment continues to spread around the world, I want the UK to be the most fervent champion of global free trade."