Latest news with #AlbaneseLaborGovernment
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Australia to lift import ban on US beef after Trump tariffs tiff
Australia will lift restrictions on the import of beef from the US, a trade barrier which had angered the Trump administration. American beef has effectively been banned from the country - which has some of the strictest biosecurity laws in the world - since 2003 after an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease. The White House cited the restrictions when explaining tariffs imposed on Australia in April, as part of US President Donald Trump's so-called Liberation Day scheme. The Australian government has denied the timing of the decision was related to the trade tiff, saying a decade-long department review found the US had improved beef safety measures. Canberra technically lifted the ban on US beef in 2019, but cattle from Mexico and Canada remained on the blacklist, and the integration of their supply chains meant this essentially barred beef from the States too. However, the US has recently introduced better cattle tracing protocols, allowing authorities to track where they were raised and respond more effectively in the event of a disease outbreak. Australia's Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said the department had undertaken a "rigorous science and risk-based assessment" and was now "satisfied" that the US is managing any biosecurity threats. "This decision has been purely based on science," she said in a statement. "The Albanese Labor government will never compromise on biosecurity." But the opposition has suggested the government may have done just that. "It looks as though [the ban has] been traded away to appease Donald Trump, and that's what we don't want," Nationals leader David Littleproud told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). "I want to see the science." Cattle Australia chief executive Will Evans, however, told the ABC he was "comfortable" with the decision and that the industry had to "put faith" in the department. He added that US was an important trading partner with whom Australia needed to maintain a good relationship. The US is Australia's biggest beef export market, worth A$14bn (£6.8bn, $9.2bn) last year. Trump singled out the industry when imposing what he called "reciprocal" tariffs of at least 10% on all Australian exports. However, a report by Meat and Livestock Australia released in June found the beef tariff had not hurt trade, which had risen by about a third so far this year.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Australia to lift import ban on US beef after Trump tariffs tiff
Australia will lift restrictions on the import of beef from the US, a trade barrier which had angered the Trump beef has effectively been banned from the country - which has some of the strictest biosecurity laws in the world - since 2003 after an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow White House cited the restrictions when explaining tariffs imposed on Australia in April, as part of US President Donald Trump's so-called Liberation Day Australian government has denied the timing of the decision was related to the trade tiff, saying a decade-long department review found the US had improved beef safety measures. Canberra technically lifted the ban on US beef in 2019, but cattle from Mexico and Canada remained on the blacklist, and the integration of their supply chains meant this essentially barred beef from the States the US has recently introduced better cattle tracing protocols, allowing authorities to track where they were raised and respond more effectively in the event of a disease Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said the department had undertaken a "rigorous science and risk-based assessment" and was now "satisfied" that the US is managing any biosecurity threats."This decision has been purely based on science," she said in a statement."The Albanese Labor government will never compromise on biosecurity."But the opposition has suggested the government may have done just that."It looks as though [the ban has] been traded away to appease Donald Trump, and that's what we don't want," Nationals leader David Littleproud told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)."I want to see the science."Cattle Australia chief executive Will Evans, however, told the ABC he was "comfortable" with the decision and that the industry had to "put faith" in the added that US was an important trading partner with whom Australia needed to maintain a good US is Australia's biggest beef export market, worth A$14bn (£6.8bn, $9.2bn) last singled out the industry when imposing what he called "reciprocal" tariffs of at least 10% on all Australian a report by Meat and Livestock Australia released in June found the beef tariff had not hurt trade, which had risen by about a third so far this year.
ABC News
6 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Australia lifts biosecurity import restrictions on US beef, a Trump administration grievance
Australia has lifted biosecurity restrictions on beef imports from the United States, one of the key grievances that led the Trump administration to impose tariffs on Australia. The US has been able to export its beef to Australia since 2019, but certain products were banned, including beef sourced from Canada or Mexico and slaughtered in the US. The government says the US introduced more robust movement controls earlier this year, meaning cattle could be traced back through the supply chain to their original farms, allowing more certainty that products were not carrying disease or pests dangerous to Australia. "The Albanese Labor government will never compromise on biosecurity," Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said. "The US Beef Imports Review has undergone a rigorous science and risk-based assessment over the past decade. "The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is satisfied the strengthened control measures put in place by the US effectively manage biosecurity risks." Reacting to the announcement, Liberal frontbencher Tim Wilson said Australia's national interest must be preserved. "Biosecurity shouldn't be compromised and I really hope the government knows what it's doing," Mr Wilson said. The vast majority of beef trade between Australia and the US is of Australian beef sold to America. $14 billion in Australian beef was sold last year, with the US being the single largest market, followed by China. But a 10 per cent tariff on Australian beef was imposed by US President Donald Trump in April, with export restrictions on US beef being one of the administration's key grievances. "Australia's market remains closed to fresh US beef and beef products," the administration complained in its Foreign Trade Barriers report earlier this year. Australia closed its market to US beef in 2003 after fatal neurological disease bovine spongiform encephalopathy was discovered in American cattle. A report by Meat and Livestock Australia released in June found the beef tariff had not hurt trade, which had risen 32 per cent year-to-date.
