Trade policy takes centre stage

This column was originally published in Meat Management in October 2021

Party conference season is back! Most mainstream parties are holding their conferences in person this year after the pandemic meant all conferences went online in 2020. 2021 looks to be an interesting year for trade policy at conferences; with a new Secretary of State for international trade, a shadow international trade secretary less-than-impressed with the government’s actions on trade, and a return to “politics as usual” as pandemic restrictions are lifted.

The Conservative Party Conference took place in Manchester from 3-6 October. With ministers settling into new roles - including the new Secretary of State for International Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan - it was an interesting conference to watch. Many commentators have opined that the reshuffle represents a new phase of this government; where the pandemic response starts to fade into the rear-view mirror and the party looks towards the next election.

At the 2019 election, the Conservatives pledged to “redouble” their efforts on market access for agri-food exports. This has been achieved to an extent if we just look at non-EU exports, with poultrymeat access to Japan being achieved, and pigmeat exports to Mexico being approved. IMTA is keen for this work to continue as without veterinary market access, tariff liberalisation through free trade agreements (FTAs) is worthless.

The Conservatives have also negotiated an FTA with Australia, which is currently undergoing it’s “legal scrub”. Negotiations with New Zealand are ongoing, and negotiations with the US are due to restart soon.

The Labour Party Conference was held in Brighton on 25-29 September. Emily Thornberry, Shadow International Trade Secretary, has been highly critical of the UK-Australia deal and called it “one sided”. Thornberry has also criticised the UK’s approach to CPTPP accession, saying the UK has not got a clear set of objectives to achieve through accession. IMTA was interested to hear an alternative approach to UK trade policy.

The Liberal Democrat conference was held online in September. The membership passed a motion critiquing the government’s handling of trade policy over the past 12 months. The Lib Dems called for: full parliamentary sovereignty/scrutiny over trade deals, full transparency during the negotiation process, and a benchmarking framework for trade deals including on environmental standards.

The SNP conference focused on trade deals and their impact on Scotland. Nicola Sturgeon highlighted concerns around future trade deals, and a resolution was passed to urge the government to more accurately assess the impact of trade deals on the agricultural sector in Scotland.

Little detail is available online about the Plaid Cymru conference, but the party has expressed concerns about the UK-Australia deal and is an advocate for re-joining the EU.

As the country heads into the tail end of its first year as “Global Britain”, there is still much debate about both the UK’s trade policy, the way it is conducted, and the way it is scrutinised. As the pandemic hopefully recedes, it is clear that trade policy will continue to take a prominent place on the political agenda. IMTA will continue to monitor and lobby for members interests as the UK’s independent trade policy is further developed.