Ottawa-Efforts to blame Canada for tariffs on British cheddar ignore the failure of the United Kingdom to negotiate its share of a European cheese quota with Canada when it left the E.U., says Mathieu Frigon, President and CEO of Dairy Processors of Canada.

U.K. news reports suggest that negotiation of a free trade deal with Canada is not making much progress and Canada has rejected a British attempt to extend a rollover of the EU terms of trade on cheese exports.

It had continued after the U.K. left the EU but ended on Dec. 31. On Jan 1, British cheese imports moved to the non-EU tariff-free quota, of which about 95 per cent is already spoken for by Norwegian, Swiss and other producers.

Once that quota is full, a 245 per cent duty on additional cheese imports is imposed. The British reports said that Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch is advising cheese exporters to prepare for the worst.

Frigon said that under the European free trade agreement, Canada granted cheese access to its market to all EU members including the U.K. “When it left the EU, the U.K. could have negotiated with the EU to maintain some volume access to Canada, but it did not. The options available for the U.K. in the short term is the non-EU cheese access and joining the Pacific free trade agreement. “Any attempt at blaming Canada for this situation is a red herring.”

The reports note that during negotiations on a Canada-UK free trade deal, the British government says Canada wants greater access for its beef and pork exports. The UK will not agree because it says Canadian standards are not good enough even though they are widely accepted in the rest of the world.

So far, Ottawa is supporting Britain’s bid to join the Pacific trade deal, which the livestock groups call a deep disappointment because of its barrier to Canadian meat imports.

The Canadian Meat Council, Canadian Cattle Association and the Canadian Pork Council (CPC) have asked the government to ensure producers and processors are fairly compensated for the damages and losses caused by the UK’s stand on Canada’s meat inspection system, which they say “is widely recognized as one of the finest in the world.”

This news report was prepared for National Newswatch.