Ian Blackford MP has urged Boris Johnson to ditch plans for an Australian trade deal which would “send our farmers down under.”
Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Blackford said farmers would be set to lose their livelihoods, rural businesses will collapse, and ultimately families will be driven off their land if the Brexit trade deal is signed off.
Martin Kennedy, President of the National Farmers Union Scotland told ITV that farmers will feel “seriously betrayed” by the proposals.
The SNP Westminster Leader said the Prime Minister must categorically rule out plans to sign up to a trade deal that will, at any future point, grant tariff-free access to Australian lamb and beef.
Commenting, Ian Blackford MP said:
“This UK government led the betrayal of Scottish fishing and now the Tories are planning to throw our farmers and crofters under their Brexit bus.
“As a member of Scotland’s crofting community, I understand just how disastrous a Brexit trade deal with Australia, as proposed by this Tory government, would be for Scotland’s farming and crofting sectors.
“I know many of the Prime Minister’s Tory colleagues privately agree with me – and want him to pull back from this deal.
“The fact the Prime Minister couldn’t give a straight answer or show any compassion for our farming and crofting communities will send a real chill for those working in the sector.
“This deal would be the final nail in the coffin for many farmers and crofters and it will end a way of life that has endured for generations.”
