Johnson: US, UK trade deal not likely

LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson conceded Wednesday that a post-Brexit trade deal with the U.S. was not imminent as he voiced confidence that the decades-long U.S. ban on imports of British lamb would be lifted.

A day after President Joe Biden downplayed the prospect of a trade deal by not pushing back on a suggestion that Britain was at the back of the line, Johnson said British farmers, notably those in Wales, would soon be able to export lamb to the U.S. once again. Despite Johnson’s claims the U.S. would be lifting the ban on British lamb, his office at Downing Street later said the details still needed to be worked out.

The U.S. has banned the import of British beef and lamb since 1989, as a result of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), which is widely known as “mad cow disease.” The ban on beef has already been lifted.

Phil Stocker, chief executive of the National Sheep Association, said farmers were delighted by the announcement. He said the domestic lamb market accounts for between 60-65% of production, with the European Union the biggest export market.

“However, access is more difficult than it was when we were part of the EU,” Stocker said. “It’s essential to maintain EU access but it is also important to work on any market that gives us future potential.”

These modest piecemeal trading arrangements are a far cry to what Johnson and other Brexit backers were pushing for when campaigning for Britain’s departure from the EU back in 2016. They argued that one of the great prizes of leaving the bloc would be an overarching trade deal with the U.S. that would see tariffs and quotas eliminated on a wide array of goods.