SCOTTISH farming leaders have raised concerns over UK trade talks with Australia, New Zealand and the United States, which could potentially lead to a dilution in current trading standards.

Responding to the UK Government consultations on free trade negotiations with these countries, NFU Scotland stressed that the UK needs to undertake thorough consultation with the industry to identify any opportunity in these markets.

Union president Andrew McCornick said: “If the Brexit referendum decision is interpreted as ‘taking back control’ then it is critical the UK Government doesn’t follow up Brexit by undermining our own domestic standards in a rush to sign unnecessary trade deals with countries which produce a number of products to lower standards than would be accepted in the United Kingdom.

“Australia, New Zealand and the United States are significant global exporters of food and if they were given greater access to our domestic market then this would have the potential to increase food miles and damage local farm and croft incomes.

“The UK Government has cited Brexit as a clear opportunity to highlight the UK’s strong environmental and animal health credentials of our food production. However, this would be an empty gesture if the UK Government allowed increased imports of foods from countries where we are unable to directly legislate any changes to production standards,” he said.

“Future trade agreements with these countries may also have the potential to impact on our ability to trade freely with our customers in the European Union and this would be unacceptable."

Mr McCornick noted that NFUS had consistently argued that the best post-Brexit market outcome for Scottish growers, farmers and crofters was continued membership of the European single market to ensure frictionless trade with key markets: “In 2016, the UK food and drink exports to the EU were £9.9 billion while non-EU exports were £4 billion, highlighting that more than 70% of UK food and drink exports are dependent on frictionless access to the European single market.

"This includes over 90% of our beef exports, 75% of pig meat exports and 88% of sheep meat exports."

The Scottish Government have called on the UK Government to listen to these agricultural concerns and to 'go back to the drawing board' to secure a post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union.

SNP MSP Maureen Watt said: “The UK Government is ignoring calls from Scotland’s farmers to secure future trade with Europe as a priority – instead they are pursuing a dodgy trade deal with Trump.

"Blocking our farmers from trading freely with the European Union post-Brexit would be catastrophic to the industry here in Scotland. Thanks to the Tory power grab, we face the real threat of chlorinated chicken and hormone-injected beef in Scottish supermarkets – undermining the high standards of our own producers."

President Trump’s own Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross, has fuelled these concerns by saying that the UK's continued adherence to the EU's environmental, workplace and animal welfare standards could place 'landmines' in the way of a trade deal with the US.