Key Facts

• Sophie Jones is the director of public affairs at the British Phonographic Industry.
• The UK music industry's export revenues are growing steadily due to strong talent and the cultural capital of the UK.
• The National Farmers Union of Wales, National Farmers Union Scotland, Scottish Crofting Federation, and NFU provide evidence on trade agreements.
• The Bill aims to address procurement related to trade deals with Australia and New Zealand.
• There are concerns about restrictions imposed by Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) on local food sourcing within UK public bodies.
• The Scottish Parliament has passed the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act, which includes measures on public procurement.
• The Government's position requires implementing legislation, certain regulations, and the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 process before ratifying trade deals.
• MPs retain the ability to delay ratification during the CRaG period but lose this right once it is completed.
• Concerns raised about the impact of FTAs on vulnerable sectors like red meat in Scotland.
• The Bill's scope is described as narrow by the speaker.
• Concerns are raised about the potential impact on animal welfare standards in procurement contracts.
• There is a divergence between trade-stimulating policies and backing local food producers.
• Concerns raised include environmental standards, scale of production, carbon footprints, quotas, and local exemptions.
• Calculations of relative carbon emissions from New Zealand and UK red meat production vary widely.
• The Australia deal includes provisions that apply only to UK-wide regulations but not to state-level Australian laws.
• The FTA has been negotiated by UK Government negotiators with Australia and New Zealand.
• There is no provision in the trade deals that would allow influencing food production methods in other countries, leading to reliance on quotas and tariffs for competitive balance.
• The Trade and Agriculture Commission (TAC) was set up to provide scrutiny of FTAs but its effectiveness has been questioned due to limited scope after March 2021.
• Mark Pritchard chairs the examination of witnesses regarding the Trade (Australia and New Zealand) Bill.
• Professor Albert Sanchez-Graells from the University of Bristol gives evidence via Zoom.
• Professor Sanchez-Graells suggests potential deviations in the procurement chapters of the Australia deal that could undermine the Government Procurement Agreement.
• The UK and Australia/New Zealand are members of the World Trade Organisation's Government Procurement Agreement (GPA).
• The agreements between the UK and Australia/New Zealand have problematic changes to GPA rules.
• Access to remedies for legal challenges under the FTA with Australia is particularly concerning as it allows exclusion based on public interest.
• CPTPP would not resolve problems created by FTAs with Australia and New Zealand.
• Australian procurement chapter has problematic clauses allowing for barring access to remedies.
• New Zealand FTA excludes procurement from investment chapters, which is not a problem in that agreement.
• There could be potential trade disputes if Australian companies feel they have been discriminated against due to lack of access to remedies.
• The Government claims £10 billion of additional procurement opportunities for British businesses.
• Mark Pritchard chairs the Public Bill Committee.
• Michael Gasiorek is director of the UK Trade Policy Observatory.
• Rosa Crawford is a policy officer at the Trades Union Congress.
• Mark Pritchard is speaking about the Trade (Australia and New Zealand) Bill.
• He reminds committee members to avoid discussing the Procurement Bill and CPTPP during this session.
• Trades unions were excluded from UK-Australia and UK-New Zealand deal negotiations.
• The International Labour Organisation declaration was referenced but not the fundamental conventions in the UK-Australia deal.
• No guaranteed debate is possible under the negative resolution procedure unless actively initiated.
• The Bill's broad drafting could allow further liberalisation of public procurement processes.
• Neither Australia nor New Zealand has ratified all fundamental ILO conventions, raising concerns over labour rights.
• The TUC and other stakeholders have not been included in private discussions about free trade agreements despite previous promises.
• Mark Pritchard is chairing the session on the Trade (Australia and New Zealand) Bill.
• Miles Beale, chief executive of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, joins via Zoom.
• The Wine and Spirit Trade Association has approximately 350 UK members involved in buying, selling, importing, exporting, or advising on wines and spirits.
• The Department has provided some practical support for SMEs through embassies and high commissions.
• Financial support has not been offered, which would make a significant difference for small businesses.
• Large food and drink festivals have occasionally been encouraged by DIT or DEFRA, but they are often less effective for smaller brands.