Defra Secretary George Eustice has said the Government will ‘absolutely' review the UK's global sugar tariff if imports flood the domestic market.
In December last year, Ministers announced that 260,000 tonnes of raw cane sugar would be allowed to enter the UK without a tariff in 2021 through an autonomous tariff quota (ATQ).
Brazilian exports of sugar and alcohol to the UK grew by 21 per cent in the first quarter of 2021 as a direct result of the ATQ.
The Government has since agreed to eliminate sugar tariffs for Australia as part of a new bilateral trade deal, giving away a further 11 per cent of the UK market.
Speaking to Farmers Guardian about the issue during a press conference at Groundswell last week, Mr Eustice said: "When it comes to sugar, we have already got our UK global tariff with a significant provision for what is called an ATQ, open to the rest of the world.
"If market conditions require it, it is open to us to adjust that at any point in the future."
NFU sugar board chairman Michael Sly said it was ‘encouraging' that there was a possibility to review the ATQ.
Transparent
But he added: "I would encourage the Government to be open and transparent with the industry and growers about import levels under the ATQ, the sources of these imports, when it intends to review the quota levels and what criteria it would use to determine the ‘right level' of quota.
"It is crucial that the Government does not continually open up our market to more imported sugar produced using standards completely different to those British growers are held to.
"Clear review mechanisms of both the ATQ and future trade deals are essential to ensure growers are not fatally undermined."
