SYDNEY: As Britain’s divorce from the European Union begins Wednesday, Australia’s meat industry is licking its lips at the prospect of a boost in exports as London scrambles to sign free-trade deals across the globe.
Pro-leave politicians promised before last year’s referendum that an exit would allow them to hammer out a series of pacts around the world, free from what they called the shackles of EU quotas and giving the country better deals.
Now, as they prepare for two years of divorce talks that could see Britain completely cut off from Europe’s gigantic free-trade bloc, officials in Westminster are keen to start work on agreements elsewhere.
And that, says Josh Anderson of industry research group Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), could be a big benefit to the meat industry Down Under, while a rotten meat crisis in Brazil might also provide an opening.
“Brexit provides a unique opportunity for Australia to enhance its trading relationship with the UK,” he said.
