LONDON: Queensland Sugar Limited said the first shipment of raw sugar to Britain under the free trade agreement between the two countries was loaded in the port of Townsville on Monday.

Under the Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement, which came into force on May 31, tariff-free raw sugar exports to the UK have resumed for the first time in 50 years, the Australian raw sugar producer said in a statement.

The sugar is destined for Tate and Lyle Sugars’ Thames Refinery in London. QSL chief executive officer Greg Beashel said around one-third of Australia sugar exports had been shipped to Britain before the market was effectively lost when the UK joined the European Union in 1973.