‘Fantastic opportunities’ for UK farmers in Australia FTA

Ag Agencies

PORTSMOUTH: Prime Minister Boris Johnson said farmers will have a “fantastic opportunity” as part of free-trade deals, as reports suggest the UK government is on the verge of signing a post-Brexit agreement with Australia.

Downing Street said “negotiations are still ongoing” with Canberra, despite several reports claiming ministers on Thursday had resolved their differences over the terms of a deal.

There had been concerns — said to have been aired around the Cabinet table by Environment Secretary George Eustice and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove — about the impact a zero-quota arrangement with Australia could have on British meat produce, particularly beef and lamb, which has to reach higher standards.

But The Sun reported that the Prime Minister is set to offer Australia a 15-year transition to a zero-tariff, zero-quota trade pact, with the free trade arguments of International Trade Secretary Liz Truss and Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng being successful.

The Prime Minister, asked about the prospective deal on Friday, said he wanted the UK to “see these new openings not as threats but as opportunities” as he praised the benefits of free trade.

Speaking to broadcasters in Portsmouth, where he was visiting the HMS Queen Elizabeth II aircraft carrier, Johnson said: “We are certainly looking at doing free trade deals with countries around the world, and I’m here on this incredible aircraft carrier, which is really a symbol of the way we want to do things — we see a global future for this country.

“I do think that free trade deals present a fantastic opportunity for our farmers, for businesses of all kinds, and for manufacturers. I think it is vital that as a great historic free-trading nation that grew to prosperity thanks to free trade, and thanks indeed to the Royal nuclear projects would not only help the generation of electricity but also produce thousands of jobs for the local people. China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) Chairman Yu Jian Feng said technology transfer and nuclear cooperation between China and Pakistan will further achieve new heights. He said the nuclear facilities are being run under strict safety compliance.

IAEA Director General, in a video message, said Pakistan’s longstanding collaboration with the IAEA stretches back to the 70s as the country pursued its nuclear programme under safety guidelines. To meet its rising energy needs, nuclear generation plants are important for Pakistan, he added.

The K-2 nuclear plant has internal and external accident prevention ability and enhanced emergency response capability. The plant has a 60-year life expectancy, extendable to a further 20 years. It is designed with higher plant availability and capacity factors and an extended refuelling cycle. The construction of K-2 commenced in November 2013, whereas its fuel loading started on December 1, 2020, after approval from the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA).

A series of cold and hot functional commissioning tests related to plant operation and safety were conducted, before achieving criticality at the end of February this year. After further reactor physics tests, the plant was connected to the national grid on March 18 for trial operation and power escalation tests, according to the information made available by PAEC.

Earlier, the collective generation capacity of all PAEC operated plants was around 1,400 megawatts. K-2’s with 1,100 MW generation capacity will nearly double these figures, substantially improving the overall share of nuclear power in the energy mix. Meanwhile, Karachi Nuclear Power Plant Unit-3 (K-3), with a similar capacity is also in the commissioning phase and is expected to start production during the first quarter of 2022.