London (AFP)

The UK announced on Tuesday that it has reached a post-Brexit trade deal with Australia, the first obtained by London that is not simply a renewal or adaptation of those that exist between the EU and other countries.

"Today marks a new era in UK-Australian relations", with a free trade agreement which offers "fantastic opportunities for UK businesses and consumers," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a Downing Street press release.

The British leader agreed on the main lines with his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison on Monday evening in London.

The agreement is expected to be published in the next few days and will then need to be signed.

It will allow all British goods to enter Australia duty free, and will benefit the automotive industry, Scotch whiskey, biscuits and other ceramics.

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Trade between the two countries amounted to £ 13.9 billion in 2020.

The agreement also ensures to protect British farmers, who were concerned about competition from Australian products, such as beef and lamb, with more flexible health standards, the statement said.

There is a limit on imports into British soil without customs duties for 15 years, in particular through quotas.

The government also wants to help British agricultural producers find other export outlets, including in the Indo-Pacific region.

London hopes that this agreement with Australia will more easily open the doors to the Trans-Pacific Trade Treaty (CPTPP), which brings together 11 countries in America and Asia, and which authorized the United Kingdom in early June to initiate the procedure for join this vast free trade area.

The UK has already secured agreements with the EU and Japan and is in talks with India and New Zealand.

Negotiations are planned with Canada and Mexico.

London still expects to secure a trade agreement with the United States, although progress seems meager for the time being.

It was not mentioned in the reports of the meeting between Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden on Thursday on the eve of the G7 in Cornwall (south-west of England).

© 2021 AFP