Who cut the cheese?Apparently negotiators from the United Kingdom rose such a stink over cheese tariffs they simply walked away from talks aimed at establishing a free trade agreement between the two Commonwealth nations.A major sticking — or stinking — point was an interim agreement to keep British cheddar and Stilton tariff-free for at least three years following Britain’s exit from the European Union.Negotiators had been working on a deal to replace the the UK’s participation in the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) following Brexit on January 1 2020.Now that time has expired with no new agreement in sight..After the renegotiation of the former North American Free Trade Agreement, the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), in July 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised dairy farmers that “no more slices” of Canada's domestic dairy market would be served up to exporters in future negotiations of any kind.The Dairy Farmers of Canada has consistently complained that expanded access to dairy should remain off the table in any trade negotiations.A spokesperson for International Trade Minister Mary Ng said Canada is "disappointed that negotiations with the UK are being paused.” British negotiators said the talks could restart in the future.
