I’ve been fairly vocal about the Australian trade deal on social media the past week so I thought it was only right to share these thoughts a little wider.
It feels even more significant as I gathered my flock in the pens to pull out my first draw of lambs from 2021.
I looked at them the same way I always do, proudly. I’m proud for many reasons.
I’m proud that despite arriving into conditions that really weren’t far off from what can only be described as a drought they have thrived remarkably well, I’m proud that there’s been no pressure other than for them to finish at a rate completely natural to them individually, I’m proud that they’ve been reared without compromising the environment and of course I’m mostly proud that this is all achieved by maintaining some of the highest welfare standards in the world.
I look around at my farm and my neighbours farm that surround me both near and far and I can’t help but think that our opportunity to really pioneer and lead the way with a sustainable agricultural system that cares more about its animals, land, wildlife and varying ecosystems than anywhere else has well and truly been flushed down the toilet by our own government.
In short terms, we’ve been shafted.
By welcoming a free trade deal with Australia with no regulations on food standards literally puts two fingers up to all the farmers of the UK, all their work to tirelessly improve their land, the endless efforts to make sure their animals are treated with the full respect and dignity they deserve, giving them the best life possible.
The worst thing of all this (and I say this as a very positive person) is we are completely helpless to it all, it is entirely out of our hands, and I fear it only sets a precedent for any future trade deals to come. I look at my lambs again and instead of pride sorrow starts to creep in.
Sorrow that these lambs will soon be competing with lambs flown half way across the world, with a guarantee of only the bare minimal welfare standards which aren’t even legal in the UK.
There’s sorrow that over a million people signed a petition to tell the Government this isn’t what they wanted, yet they’ve been ignored.
There’s sorrow that the Government continually promised that our farming systems would never be jeopardised nor would they be compromised, yet that’s exactly what they have done.
They lied, again, and I fear we really don’t know half of how bad things could get as a consequence.
We can’t farm intensively, make our environment a priority and the produce food cheaply, unfortunately something has to give.
I always hoped sense would prevail, but instead we watch Prime Minister Boris Johnson pose with Australian PM Scott Morrison proud as punch holding a packet of Penguins and Tim Tams like they are naively making two biscuits become best mates, while ignoring just what this will do to our food and the beauty of our countryside.
It’s a dark time for British agriculture, and even for such an optimist like myself, there’s no way to rose tint it.
