US hails move to drop 'absurd' beef ban, as Labor says 'nothing suspicious'

SBS Australia

a day ago

The United States has hailed Australia's decision to drop a partial ban on beef imports as a "major trade breakthrough" for Donald Trump and his administration, as the federal government faces questions over whether the move was made to appease the president. The Opposition has also raised biosecurity concerns over Thursday's announcement, with the federal government insisting the decision followed a decade-long science-based review. Many Australian cattle producers will have been left blindsided by the decision, an industry group says, but the level of American product arriving in Australia is expected to be very low. "American farmers and ranchers produce the safest, healthiest beef in the world. It's absurd that non-scientific trade barriers prevented our beef from being sold to consumers in Australia for the last 20 years," US agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement.
"Gone are the days of putting American farmers on the sidelines. This is yet another example of the kind of market access the president negotiates to bring America into a new golden age of prosperity, with American agriculture leading the way."
Agriculture Minister Julie Collins says Australia would "never compromise" on biosecurity. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas The US has been able to send beef to Australia since 2019, but any beef raised in Canada or Mexico before being slaughtered and processed in the US was previously barred due to biosecurity concerns. One concern was that Mexico's livestock tracking system could inadvertently lead producers to import beef from parts of the continent where there were disease outbreaks. But the latest announcement will lift the ban on beef sourced from Canada or Mexico after the US introduced more robust movement controls in late 2024 and early 2025, allowing for improved identification and tracing throughout the supply chain.
The change is widely viewed as a bargaining chip Australia could use while attempting to push for tariff exemptions from the US.
'Nothing suspicious' about beef ban lift "It looks as though it's (biosecurity) been traded away to appease Donald Trump," Littleproud told ABC's Radio National on Thursday. He said the government has been "flat-footed" in negotiations and was now risking biosecurity to play "catch-up". Trade Minister Don Farrell said the timing had nothing to do with US calls, saying: "There's nothing suspicious about this".
"If we want to export our beef overseas, then we have to accept that other countries will want to import their beef into Australia," he told Sky News.
The Opposition has also raised biosecurity concerns, with frontbencher James Paterson calling on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to "stand up ... and explain" to Australia's beef farmers that the government hasn't "watered down" biosecurity. "The prime minister himself has said [in April] that we couldn't relax the restrictions on the importation of US beef because of serious biosecurity concerns," Paterson said.
"So if the government has found some way of dealing with that issue, protecting our domestic agricultural industry from the introduction of foreign diseases and pests, then they should say so."
Nationals leader David Littleproud has demanded further information about the decision, accusing the government of using the beef industry to play "catch up" in negotiations with US President Donald Trump. Source: AAP Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said it was something Australia would "never compromise" on. "The US beef imports review has undergone a rigorous science and risk-based assessment over the past decade," Collins said.
"The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is satisfied the strengthened control measures put in place by the US effectively manage biosecurity risks."
Australian producers may feel 'blindsided', but industry figures not rattled Cattle Australia CEO Will Evans believed the move would not have been made unless the government had the utmost confidence in the science, but said some would still be unhappy with its decision. "There's going to be a lot of people today who feel blindsided by this, there's going to be a lot of people who are going to feel really frustrated and threatened by this," he told ABC radio. "We need to talk to them. "The US is an incredibly important trading partner — we need to maintain access and we need to maintain relationships with them." Evans said the industry had "put faith" in the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry's expertise, with the deal largely favouring Australian exporters.
"They've made this assessment themselves. They've said: 'look, we've looked at this. We've looked at the best science. This is a decision we feel comfortable with'," he said.
Some have raised worries US beef could impact Australia's domestic market, but industry representatives remain relatively unperturbed. "It's a bit like selling ice to Eskimos," Australian Meat Industry Council CEO Tim Ryan told the ABC. Evans said the domestic beef industry is self-sufficient and any imports of US beef are "unlikely to have any effect on the market here". The US beef industry can't supply domestic demand, he said. The US remains one of the main export markets for Australian beef. — With additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press.