Mussel farmers furious over New Zealand deal

The New Zealand trade deal is another “nail in the coffin” of British mussel farmers, who say they face being forced out of business. As part of the deal, tariffs on New Zealand mussels will be cut to zero over four years.

“The principle of crucifying our industry to the benefit of imports is crazy,” said David Jarrad, of the Shellfish Association of Great Britain.

EU exports were hit by Brexit as the UK was treated as a non-eu country under Brussels’ public health rules.

“This deal will give the UK industry time to adjust, with mechanisms in place to provide a safety net if firms face harm from increased imports,” a government spokesman said.