The UK is proposing to take 112,000 tonnes of New Zealand lamb post Brexit, the Farmers Journal Scotland understands. The deal would be roughly splitting the current volume of lamb, which enjoys tariff-free access to the EU in two, with the remaining 27 members getting a potential 116,000t. The volumes were calculated on proportion of the average volume of lamb coming into the UK and the EU-27.

A roughly equal division of the current tariff-free access was initially objected to by New Zealand, Australia and Uruguay, among others, through the World Trade Organisation. Dave Harrison, general manager policy and advocacy at Beef + Lamb New Zealand, said: “Any split in our current quotas materially affects the value of quota access as it loses the flexibility we currently have to send product to any one of 28 markets within one overall cap. A split along these lines would not see the EU and the UK honouring their WTO commitments in full, and so would not be a satisfactory or fair outcome for New Zealand.’’

The deal is based on weight of sheepmeat and does not define what type of cuts. Traditionally, New Zealand has predominantly sent lamb legs and leg steaks to the British market.