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.”
Barton added that the surge in imports is arriving at a difficult moment for UK farmers, many of whom are grappling with a challenging dry season and rising costs. “They need confidence to produce British beef, and this undermines that confidence,” he said.
He also argued that British farmers were being penalised for operating to higher animal welfare and sustainability standards, which can make UK meat less price-competitive. “The problem is that the Government seems to be quite happy with cheap imports that are not, perhaps, produced to the same standards or production methods that would be legal in the UK,” Barton said.
Australia’s Meat and Livestock Association (MLA) has rejected claims that Australian meat is flooding the UK market or being produced to lower standards. Richard Saunders, the MLA’s UK country manager, said Australian beef still accounts for only about 4 per cent of British beef imports.
“There is no way any flooding of the market is going on,” Saunders said, adding that Australia is currently filling only around one-third of its 50,000-tonne tariff-free beef quota under the trade deal. He acknowledged, however, that Australian producers are keen to establish and grow brands in the UK, particularly premium offerings such as Wagyu beef.
On lamb, Saunders said Australia is using roughly half of its 36,000-tonne tariff-free quota. Britain imports between a quarter and a third of the lamb it consumes, with Australia and New Zealand accounting for about 80 per cent of those imports.
Saunders argued that structural differences in production costs explain the price gap. “It’s not very economical to grow lambs in the UK any more,” he said, pointing to higher overheads associated with housing and lambing conditions compared with Australia’s outdoor systems.
He suggested that most imported lamb is sold in London, while consumers elsewhere in the country often prefer British meat despite the higher price. “Outside of London, if you don’t have British lamb on the menu, you’ll be kicked out of town,” he said. “They should definitely be looking after local producers.”
However, Barton warned that the impact of the trade deal would build over time. “This agreement is a clear example of how trade deals can have lasting effects,” he said. “The cumulative impact of this deal, those that followed and future agreements must not be understated.”
He added that Britain’s climate and grassland made it one of the best places in the world to produce beef sustainably, arguing that domestic producers should be supported rather than squeezed out by rising imports.
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Farmers’ anger grows as Australian beef floods into Britain after trade deal
