Category: Topics

BREXIT and the ACP What Can Be Done?

epamonitoring

Summary

The UK needs to recognise its ‘inherited’ trade obligations to ACP/LDC countries and take regulatory measures to extend unilaterally current market access arrangements from day 1 of BREXIT. This should be seen as ‘transitional’, with the re-fitting of existing EPAs into bilateral trade arrangements taking place once the UK administration is in a position to undertake such an exercise. This agreement should both improve access for ACP countries to the UK market and address preference erosion concerns. Read more “BREXIT and the ACP What Can Be Done?”

Arla’s Senegalese milk powder repackaging plant begins operations

epamonitoring

Summary

The opening of Arla’s repackaging plant in Senegal is expanding the companies milk powder exports to West Africa.  Arla already enjoys expanding sales of UHT milk and is planning to export branded butter and cheese to Senegal. There are concerns this could undermine the development of local milk supply chains, in contrast to Arla’s commitments to avoiding harm to local farmers. Arla’s commitment to developing milk supplies in Nigeria needs to be extended to Senegal, in the context of an initiative to launch a locally applicable Code of Conduct for Responsible Corporate Trade and Investment in African Dairy Sector Development. Read more “Arla’s Senegalese milk powder repackaging plant begins operations”

UK Private Sector Concerned Over Trade Disruption under BREXIT

epamonitoring

Summary

The UK Fresh Produce Consortium and British Retail Consortium have both independently highlighted the importance to UK consumers of ensuring continuity in access to the UK market for third country supplier post-BREXIT.  These UK bodies are potentially value able allies for the ACP in protecting their export interests. Meanwhile countries like Peru are actively seeking new bilateral trade arrangements with the UK. Read more “UK Private Sector Concerned Over Trade Disruption under BREXIT”

Ecuador agreement highlights trade tools used by EU in sensitive sectors

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Summary:

The debate on the ‘stabilisation mechanism’ in trade with Ecuador, is illustrative of the EU’s use of special trade mechanism to defend EU agricultural interests (e.g. EU banana producers). This type of mechanism could be useful for ACP governments under EPAs in sectors where EU agricultural and trade policies distort competition to the benefit of EU exporters (e.g. in the dairy and poultry sectors). Read more “Ecuador agreement highlights trade tools used by EU in sensitive sectors”

‘Do what we say, not what we do’

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Study confirms importance of non-tariff trade measures to EU agriculture

 

Summary:

While an study of future trade agreements with the EU’s major agro-food sector trade partners validate the EU’s continued use of non-tariff trade policy measures to protect EU agriculture, EU EPAs are requiring ACP governments to abandon the ue of such policy tools. This raises important issues of EU policy coherence. Read more “‘Do what we say, not what we do’”

What Value Future Preferential Access to the UK Market

epamonitoring

Summary:

While the immediate concern is to preserve current ACP preferences, in the longer term serious preference erosion challenges will be faced. Where the UK has no agricultural production interests (e.g. bananas and citrus) there will be little incentive to maintain EU tariffs. However for  five years tariff preferences may remain given the complexity of some trade negotiations. The UK’s future agricultural policy will also affect ACP preferences, notably: whether the UK retains EU CAP-related special agricultural levies. Read more “What Value Future Preferential Access to the UK Market”

What BREXIT Means for the UK-ACP Trading Relationship?

epamonitoring

Summary

The duty free access enjoyed for exports to and imports from the UK under the various EPAs will lapse once the UK leaves the EU. The countries most dependent on the UK market it is vital current market access arrangements are not disrupted. More generally sectors dominated by smallholder producers exporting undifferentiated bulk commodities on the basis of traditional high levels of tariff preferences are likely to be most severely affected by a loss of preferential access to the UK market. Initiatives are urgently needed to ensure a continuation of current preferential access to the UK market. Longer term issues of preference erosion on the UK market will also need to be addressed. Read more “What BREXIT Means for the UK-ACP Trading Relationship?”