NORTH Shropshire MP Helen Morgan has called on the government to come clean over the impact of the Australia free trade deal on local farmers.

It comes after the government’s own impact assessment found the deal will cause a £94m hit to the farming and fishing industries.

The impact assessment refers to Australia as a “large, competitive producer of agricultural products”, making clear the “potential for the deal to result in lower output for some agricultural sectors in the UK as a result”.

A recent parliamentary question tabled by the Liberal Democrats found the government has not specifically assessed the impact that the Australia and New Zealand trade deals will have on the farming sector in each region of the UK.

Ms Morgan is calling on ministers to specifically publish details of how the trade deals could impact on farming communities in North Shropshire and what additional support will be made available.

The Liberal Democrats are also calling for MPs to be given a vote on the deal in Parliament so they can stand up for local farmers.

She said: “I’ve spoken to many farmers here in north Shropshire worried about the impact of the Australia trade deal.

“The Conservatives have negotiated a shoddy deal that could see our markets being flooded by cheaper, lower quality imports.

"Even the government’s own impact assessment has found that we could see a £94 million hit to farming and fishing communities across the UK.

“Ministers now need to come clean about the impact of this deal on local farmers and what support will be made available.

“Last week’s result showed that the Conservatives can’t afford to take farmers for granted. I will use my position as the new MP to stand up for our farming communities and defend our rural way of life.”