The trade deal between UK and Australia has been signed - but farmers have called it a "one-sided deal".

The deal was signed in a virtual ceremony by International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan last night (December 16 night) and will now be scrutinised by Parliament.

Ms Trevelyan said: “Our UK-Australia trade deal is a landmark moment in the historic and vital relationship between our two commonwealth nations.

“This agreement is tailored to the UK’s strengths, and delivers for businesses, families, and consumers in every part of the UK – helping us to level up. We will continue to work together in addressing shared challenges in global trade, climate change and technological changes in the years ahead.

“Today we demonstrate what the UK can achieve as an agile, independent sovereign trading nation.

“This is just the start as we get on the front foot and seize the seismic opportunities that await us on the world stage.”

The agreement gives UK firms guaranteed access to bid for an additional £10 billion worth of Australian public sector contracts per year and allows 18-35-year-olds to work and travel in Australia for up to three years at a time, removing previous visa conditions.

However, NFU President Minette Batters said: “As we feared following the agreement in principle, there appears to be extremely little in this deal to benefit British farmers.

"We will analyse the detail in full but on the face of it, this is a one-sided deal.

"When it comes to agriculture, the Australians have achieved all they have asked for and British farmers are left wondering what has been secured for them.

“In particular, it is disappointing that the UK government has capitulated to Australian demands to time-limit any safeguards for sensitive sectors.

"Despite assurances that these sectors would be afforded some level of protection, we will see full liberalisation of dairy after just six years, sugar after eight years and beef and lamb after 15 years.

“There will also be no safeguards available for any products if imports reach damaging levels after that 15 years is up.

"Just as concerningly, the UK has agreed to beef and lamb quotas which will favour imports of high-value cuts, despite this being the end of the market where British farmers tend to derive any value from their hard work.

“It’s also difficult to discern anything in this deal that will allow us to control imports of food produced below the standards legally required of British farmers, for instance on land deforested for cattle production or systems that rely on the transport of live animals in a way that would be illegal here.

“Ultimately, this deal simply serves to heap further pressure on farm businesses at a time when they are facing extraordinary inflationary pressure and sustained labour shortages, an issue the entire food supply chain agreed needed urgent action at a cross-sector summit earlier this week.

“The government needs to level with farmers about the commercial reality of this and ditch the soundbites that lost any meaning a long time ago."

The Soil Association pronounced the deal as one that is "void of common sense".

Soil Association Head of Food Policy Rob Percival said: “The Australians have played a blinder, but there’s little in this deal that will benefit British farmers or citizens.

"It’s void of common sense.

"As British farmers are stepping up to meet the environmental challenges of this century, our government signs a deal that undercuts them.

"And as the British public declares its concern for animal welfare and the climate, we commit to importing deforestation-risk beef from a country ranked last out of 193 countries in the latest UN-backed Sustainable Development report.

"The logic behind the deal is difficult to discern, but it seems to be ‘free trade at all costs’, served with a side of hormone-treated cattle.

"We must hope that the government’s upcoming response to the National Food Strategy is more coherent and ambitious.”

But business groups welcomed the deal and the opportunities for exporters.

Confederation of British Industry president Lord Bilimoria said it “opens new frontiers” and is a “truly comprehensive and modern agreement that plays to Britain’s economic strengths and competitiveness”.