British farmers are voicing growing anger after a sharp rise in Australian beef and lamb imports, which they say is undercutting domestic producers and putting further pressure on an already strained livestock sector.
New figures show that beef imports from Australia have surged since the UK-Australia free-trade deal came into force in May 2023. Volumes jumped by almost 200 per cent in the first year of the agreement, rose a further 170 per cent last year, and increased by more than 80 per cent in the first nine months of 2025 alone, according to Australian data.
Sheep meat imports, primarily lamb, have also risen sharply, climbing 39 per cent in 2023 and 42 per cent in 2024, before easing to single-digit growth so far this year.
The figures appear to validate warnings made by British farmers ahead of the deal’s signing, when they cautioned that the agreement could open the door to a wave of low-cost meat imports.
David Barton, a cattle farmer and chair of the National Farmers’ Union livestock board, said the impact of the deal was now being felt across the sector. “We’ve long warned that the UK-Australia deal would have real consequences for British livestock producers,” he said. “Now we are seeing those impacts play out.”
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