Price of wagyu burgers to be slashed by £1.50 a pack following New Zealand free trade deal

FAMILIES will get a cut-price burger treat under a new trade deal with New Zealand.

They will see the price of high-end wagyu beef fall by a third if agreement is reached.

That would drive down the cost of two wagyu burgers by £1.50 to just £3 in supermarkets.

Kiwi farmer Jason Ross said: “Our wagyu is the Rolls-Royce of beef. We would love to make it more widely available.”

Imports from New Zealand are currently hit with a 20 per cent import tax set by the EU — and that could end after Brexit.

But farming unions and some ministers want to keep tariffs high to try to prop up the UK market.

Now, leading farmer Denis Lynn has urged Trade Secretary Liz Truss to stare down the protectionists.

Mr Lynn is boss of Northern Irish meat company Finnebrogue, which farms scores of wagyu cows — but has to import the upmarket beef because he cannot keep up with demand.

He wrote to her: “I am not worried about the competition. The brilliant British beef industry will continue to thrive.

“As an importer of wagyu, I commit to passing on every penny saved from tariff-free trade to the consumer.”

Brexit-backing former Tory Minister Steve Baker said: “A zero-tariff and zero-quota free trade agreement with our Kiwi cousins can provide a brilliant boost for British consumers.

“Leaving the European Union is an opportunity to cut the cost of our food and improve its quality at the same time.”

Trade talks with New Zealand will continue through the autumn.