The UK has signed a new trade deal with Switzerland that will lower tariffs on products including beef, dairy and English sparkling wine.
Switzerland is worth around £195m a year for British food and drink exporters, according to government figures.
The UK government said the deal would deliver valuable new opportunities for meat and dairy exporters while offering no new access for Swiss pork, poultry and eggs into Britain.
“This government has delivered a deal that gives British farmers and producers a real competitive edge without compromising our high standards or interests of our farmers,” said Defra secretary Emma Reynolds.
British beef steaks will see a 35% tariff reduction, while lamb exports will benefit from zero tariffs for the first time. On fruit & veg, tariffs will fall to 0% on products like peas, carrots and broad beans, the government said.
The deal was welcomed by the NFU, which called it “a great example of a balanced deal”.
“We appreciate the government’s efforts to secure competitive access to the Swiss market for UK farmers – something the NFU has called for since the very start of these negotiations,” said NFU president Tom Bradshaw.
“The deal will provide exciting opportunities for our farmers and growers. It’s actually the best access that Switzerland has ever given a trading partner on fresh boneless beef and sparkling wine.”
It is part of a wider trade deal covering services and pharmaceuticals which the UK government estimates will increase annual exports to Switzerland by £5.2bn “in the long run”.
However, it has already been criticised for locking in controversial intellectual property protections for pharmaceutical firms, as reported in Politico.
The agreement freezes existing patent protection rules, meaning neither country can shorten exclusivity periods or launch cheaper generic medicines to market more quickly, without breaching the term.
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