Liam Fox, international trade secretary, has suggested that Britain could agree with partners to roll over or adopt existing EU agreements to ensure business as usual

South Africa dealt a blow to the government’s plans to forge new trade deals yesterday, saying that a new agreement would have to be negotiated and that it would push for enhanced access to Britain for its agricultural sector.

Rob Davies, South Africa’s trade minister, will meet his counterpart Liam Fox next week in London. He will say that while he is hopeful a new agreement could be ready by the time Britain leaves the EU in 2019, there will have to be a renegotiation of agricultural quotas and sanitary standards.

Dr Fox has suggested previously that Britain could agree with partners to roll over or “adopt” existing EU agreements to ensure business as usual.

Negotiations over quotas, with a limit on the amount of