New trade deals ‘are unfair on farmers and won’t help emissions’

Chair of the UK's Climate Change Committee condemns New Zealand and Australia agreements as unworkable

The chairman of the government's climate change advisory board has condemned trade deals with Australia and New Zealand as totally offensive" as he warned they would undermine attempts to tackle emissions.

Lord Deben, the former Tory cabinet minister who chairs the Climate Change Committee, said that the agreements were entirely unacceptable for climate change purposes". He warned they would damage efforts to ask UK farmers to help consumers shift to eating less meat, but of higher quality.