Tata Steel UK has warned the UK government that bilateral trade agreements, including the free trade agreement signed with India, could turn the country into a market for low priced steel imports from Asia.
According to The Telegraph, the company stated that such trade arrangements could weaken the competitiveness of the British steel industry and negatively affect employment in the country. Tata Steel UK also highlighted that increasing low cost imports pose a risk of making domestic steel production unsustainable.
The company’s warning came after the UK recently increased its duty free steel import quotas for Asian countries, including China, India and Vietnam.
It was stated that the additional quota granted to India was one of the concessions made during the free trade agreement negotiations between India and the United Kingdom.
Tata Steel UK emphasized that trade policies should be designed in a way that protects the competitive conditions of domestic producers, warning that an uncontrolled increase in imports could have long term negative effects on the UK’s steel production capacity.
