Australia and the UK have just agreed in principle to a deal that would see beef liberalised, potentially leading to an increase in demand for local products.

The changes will not come into effect immediately, with a 10-year transition period being proposed in which tariffs would be slowly phased out.

In any case, it would be a bonus for the likes of Jack's Creek, which was founded in Willow Tree and may gain greater access to a market, that while relatively small, still has a solid demand for the high-quality products the company prides itself on.

"Any free trade agreement like this is a positive, the more access you have around the world the better it's going to be for the industry as a whole," Jack's Creek business manager Robert Barker said.

"The UK is a good market for us, but it's relatively small in the scheme of things, we might look to try and expand a little bit over time, given we have been exporting there in the past we've got good relationships with a few customers.

"But we still see it as a fairly high-value high-quality market and we'll be aiming to build on that over time."

He said given Australian beef is viewed as a very good product in the meat industry, there is the potential for the UK market to grow once it becomes more easily available and affordable.

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Another benefit the new agreement may have is helping fill the gap left by a reduction in demand from China following its trade war with Australia, that began last year.

Losing business from the world's most populated nation hurt many industries and operators, but Mr Barker said the company was able to adapt as well as it could.

"There was a bit of an impact on us... but we've still got access to China through the abattoirs we use, but any improvement to access is likely to be of benefit for us," he said.

"So we will see what that [the trade agreement] will look like when it comes into force."

As part of the deal, lamb and sugar will also have their tariffs phased out, while the age limit for working visas will be increased to 35. As a result of the visa change, a new program will also be introduced to bring in seasonal workers from South-East Asia.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the agreement was a 'new dawn' for trade relations between the Commonwealth nations, and Meat and Livestock Australia have echoed that sentiment.

"Australia and the UK have shared values when it comes to the production of high-quality red meat," said chair of the Australia-UK Red Meat Market Access Taskforce Andrew McDonald.

"While our ability to service the market has previously been constrained by a highly restrictive UK (and prior to 2021, European Union) import regime, the Australia-UK free trade agreement will facilitate an easier response to British consumers seeking to "buy Aussie" - should they wish to do so."

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