Farmers have a right to know where the government’s priorities really lie

On what terms should the UK strike a trade deal with Australia, asks Hamish McRae

‘British farmers can cope with change but the present uncertainties have made life very difficult’ (AFP via Getty Images)

Does the UK need a trade deal with Australia? The answer is surely yes, but on what terms?

All trade talks raise emotions and this one is massively important for two reasons. It will set the framework for the general direction of British trade, away from Europe and towards the rest of the world. And it will show to what extent this government wants to push agricultural reforms and changes in land use – shaping what our countryside is likely to look like a generation hence.

Strip out the politics and start with a basic question: who matters more, consumers or producers? In any decent society, both do, and balancing the interests between them is a core role of government. But government also has to frame long-term strategic policies, and as my colleague Andrew Grice has argued, this is the first “real deal” since Brexit and it will be the model for the UK’s other agreements around the world, notably the big prize of the United States.