Scotland and Northern Ireland's farming ministers have warned UK government that they risk 'disproportionally impacting' farmers following the Australia trade deal.
Mairi Gougeon MSP and Edwin Poots MLA have sent a joint letter to the UK's international trade secretary Liz Truss demanding new assurances for the industry.
In the letter, the two ministers said the UK-Australia trade agreement risked having a disproportionate impact on farmers and growers.
Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Scott Morrison announced the post-Brexit trade agreement earlier this month, despite fears of lower-standard food imports.
There have also been concerns about varying levels of animal welfare between the two countries, with Australian standards seen as considerable lower.
Ms Gougeon and Mr Poots said they remained 'extremely concerned' for the agriculture sector following the announcement.
"The UK government is signing up to a deal that would lead to a sustained increase in imports of Australian agri-food and produced to lesser standards," they said.
“As you know, agriculture and food standards are devolved responsibilities. We have been clear that where there is an increase in imports of Australian agri-food, this must be managed by tariff rate quotas that are not eroded over time.
“This is to ensure that domestic producers are protected and not disproportionally impacted.”
The farming ministers added that UK farmers would still be at a disadvantage despite a non-regression clause on animal welfare standards.
Their joint letter stated to Ms Truss that they had "little faith that these concerns are currently being taken seriously."
Responding, a UK government spokeswoman said that Number 10 had 'always been clear' that any deal would 'include protections for sensitive UK agriculture'.
“Trade deals like the one agreed in principle with Australia will pave the way for us to access regional trading blocs like CPTPP (the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership)," she said.
"We will continue to work with the farming industry, as well as the Scottish government and the Northern Ireland Executive, to help our farmers take advantage of these dynamic markets.
“UK farmers have a strong reputation for their high quality, high welfare produce. We put British farming at the heart of our trade policy and we have some of the most robust and transparent scrutiny arrangements in the world.”
