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Reuters
01-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Australia's red meat industry drops 2030 carbon neutral goal
CANBERRA, July 1 (Reuters) - An Australian livestock industry body said on Tuesday it had abandoned its goal to make the sector, a significant emitter of planet-warming methane, carbon neutral by 2030 but that reducing emissions would remain a priority. The carbon neutral pledge, first announced in 2017, was absent from Meat & Livestock Australia's long-term strategy document released on Tuesday. Its managing director, Michael Crowley, said the target had proven unachievable. "We need more time, more support, and more investment to reach our goal," he said. Australia's Red Meat Advisory Council dropped the 2030 climate neutral goal from its strategy last week. The decisions echo those of some governments and companies that have scaled back climate commitments in recent years. The livestock industry's original 2030 target aimed to reduce emissions and offset those that remained by carbon sequestration in soil or plant matter. To this end, the industry has pursued innovations including the breeding of animals that emit less methane, using feed supplements such as seaweed that inhibit methane production in the gut, and improving soil carbon capture techniques. While emissions from Australia's red meat industry did drop 78% by 2021 from 2005 levels, according to the country's science agency CSIRO, this was due to less land clearing and a smaller national herd - not a decrease in methane produced per animal. Crowley said the research over the last few years would mature into implementation and the industry could still reach 80-90% of its carbon neutrality goal by 2030. "We need to drive adoption," he said. He added that the 2030 target had spurred over A$100 million ($66 million) in sustainability investments and MLA, a livestock research and marketing body, would continue to drive efficiency gains and reduce net emissions per kg of meat production. Australia is one of the world's biggest exporters of red meat and home to 30 million cattle and more than 70 million sheep, according to MLA. During digestion, these animals produce methane, which breaks down over time but is 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at trapping heat over a timespan of 20 years. ($1 = 1.5207 Australian dollars)
News.com.au
09-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
The US needs Australian beef for hamburgers, Littleproud says
Anthony Albanese should play hardball with the US on beef as tariff talks grind on, Nationals leader David Littleproud says. American beef imports have emerged as a key negotiating item in the Albanese government's efforts to secure a tariff carve out. The Trump administration has been pushing for Australia to loosen import rules to include beef from cattle originating in Canada and Mexico but slaughtered in the US. The Prime Minister has confirmed biosecurity officials were reviewing the request but vowed his government would not 'compromise' Australia's strict bio laws. But the prospect of changing laws has sparked unease among cattle farmers worried about keeping bovine diseases well away from the country's shores. With beef imports seemingly key to securing a US tariff exemption, Mr Littleproud on Monday said there needed to be some 'perspective'. 'The United States does need Australia and other countries to import beef to be able to put on their hamburgers,' he told Sky News. 'They don't have the production capacity to be able to produce the type of beef that goes on their hamburgers. 'So this is a tax on themselves that they put on Australian beef.' Despite being subject to the blanket 10 per cent tariffs on foreign imports, Australian beef into the US has risen by 32 per cent this year, according to Meat and Livestock Australia. Meanwhile, the cost of domestically produced beef within the US has been climbing, as cattle farmers struggle with drought. Mr Littleproud said the Nationals were not against importing American beef provided that it was from cattle 'born in the United States and bred all the way through to their slaughter in the United States'. But beef from cattle originating in third countries was a risk because 'we don't have the traceability that we have over the US production system'. 'And that's why Anthony Albanese needed to rule out straight away that he would not open that up to those cattle that were born in Canada, Mexico, or anywhere else in the Americas, because that poses a significant risk unless we can trace those cattle,' Mr Littleproud said. Mr Albanese has been clear in saying he would 'never loosen any rules regarding our biosecurity'. But he has also said that if a deal can be struck 'in a way that protects our biosecurity, of course we don't just say no'. Mr Littleproud acknowledged Mr Albanese's words but said 'when you see reports from departments saying this is what's on the table in terms of negotiations – where there's smoke, there's fire'. In addition to the baseline 10 per cent duties on foreign goods, Australia has also been subjected to 50 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium. Only the UK has been able to secure a partial exemption from the Donald Trump's tariffs. A key UK concession was scrapping its 20 per cent imposts on American beef and raising the import quota to 13,000 metric tonnes. But with many British goods still subject to tariffs, analysts have questioned whether the deal was worth it. The US has trade surpluses with both the UK and Australia. Though, Australia also has a free-trade agreement with the US, meaning goods should be traded mostly uninhibited. The Albanese government has repeatedly criticised Mr Trump's decision to slap tariffs on Australian products as 'economic self-harm' and 'not the act of a friend'.
News.com.au
03-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
‘Thanks Trump': Aussie beef exports explode amid trade war
Australian beef has been replacing US products on the shelves in Chinese supermarkets as the two economic superpowers continue their trade war. Beijing and Washington in recent days accused each other of violating a truce in the tit-for-tat tariff regime sparked by Donald Trump's 'Liberation Day' announcement in April. Now a video posted to X has shown how trade tensions have changed things on the ground in China, where American beef stocks have virtually disappeared. In the video, a local speaking in English shows a shelf stocked full of Australian beef where US products used to be found. 'I guess I'm having Australian beef for dinner tonight,' she said. 'Instead of American beef. 'And honestly because of the food quality, I probably trust Australian beef better. 'And this box of beef right here is 50 RMB which is about $7 USD (AU$10.82). 'So to answer the question, China ain't hurting. And if anything I think we're probably doing even better because now that we have better beef that tastes better and at a better price. 'So thank you Trump for that.' Data from Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) has tracked a significant increase in grain-fed beef exports into China so far this year. There were 21,885 tonnes shipped in February and March — up nearly 40 per cent on the same period last year – and in April China bought a third of the record 37,000 tonnes exported in a single month. MLA's global supply analyst Tim Jackson has said Australia's export volumes were high because of record supply levels. He was more hesitant, however, to attribute the huge intake from China to the ongoing trade war. 'It's difficult to say at the moment, these are fairly early figures and we'd need to wait for more information to come out and get a better understanding of that trade dynamic,' he told the ABC. But there have been reports that the US$1.6 billion trade (AU$2.5 billion) of American beef to China has been effectively halted by the reciprocal tariffs, which until last month sat at 145 per cent and 125 per cent respectively. The US Meat Federation said in April that 'the majority of US beef production is now ineligible for China' due to trade restrictions. 'This impasse definitely hit our March beef shipments harder and the severe impact will continue until China lives up to its commitments under the Phase One Economic and Trade Agreement.' At the time, global meat analyst Brett Stuart told the ABC that Australia was 'now the lone supplier of high-quality white fat marbled beef into China'. '(US beef) sales to China have fallen to zero … and not only is the market now closed based on the March 16 production date, but the combined retaliation tariffs by China now take the tariff on US beef to 116 per cent, a level that will quickly halt trade.' The US remains a huge market for Australian beef and imported more of the product (37,213 tonnes) than China (21,572 tonnes) in the month of April. A 90-day trade war truce was struck between the US and China on May 12, with tariffs reduced to 30 per cent and 10 per cent respectively. However, both nations have recently accused the other of undermining the agreement. US President Mr Trump on Friday claimed Beijing had 'totally violated its agreement with us', before China hit back this week, saying Washington had 'seriously undermined' the deal. Trump, Xi will 'likely' talk this week Mr Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will likely hold a long-awaited call later this week, the White House said on Monday, as trade tensions between the world's two largest economies escalate. Trump reignited strains with China last week when he accused the world's second-largest economy of violating a deal that had led both countries to reduce massive tit-for-tat tariffs temporarily. 'The two leaders will likely talk this week,' Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters outside the West Wing when asked whether Mr Trump and Mr Xi would speak. Mr Trump and Xi have yet to have any confirmed contact more than five months since the Republican returned to power, despite frequent claims by the US president that a call is imminent. Trump even said in a Time Magazine interview in April that Xi had called him - but Beijing insisted that there had been no call recently. Stock markets around the world mostly declined on Monday as tensions between the US and China resurfaced.
SBS Australia
24-05-2025
- Climate
- SBS Australia
Seen this warning on your phone as temperatures drop? Here's what it means
Sheep grazier warnings will likely increase as the weather becomes colder and wetter, especially for people living in Australia's southern regions. Source: SBS News As winter approaches, a severe weather alert specifically targeted at sheep farmers becomes more common in many parts of Australia. Usually issued by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), these warnings may not mean much to many, but for those in the sheep-rearing business, they can be the difference between profit and loss in a year. Farmer Keith McGrath is one of the many in Australia who will be taking these warnings seriously. He's been raising sheep in the Yass Valley region of NSW since 1977 and now runs his own business, Billa Burra Burra, which is spread over 115 paddocks. Here in the Southern Tablelands, livestock farmers compete with particularly cold and wet weather. He told SBS News that the colder winter months require careful planning for sheep welfare. 'Sheep grazier warnings', as the name suggests, warn farmers about upcoming cold or wet conditions that could cause their livestock harm. The alerts are key to ensuring animal welfare, especially when conditions can be unpredictable or fast-changing. McGrath now has around 1,500 sheep on his property — a small fraction of the 78.8 million in Australia, according to 2023 estimates by Meat and Livestock Australia. These alerts are most often sent to farmers in southwest Western Australia, southern South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and much of NSW, a BoM spokesperson told SBS News. NSW has the most sheep in Australia — around 36 per cent — followed by Victoria at 24 per cent and Western Australia at 19 per cent. The BoM spokesperson said the frequency of warnings would likely increase as the weather becomes colder and wetter, especially for people living in Australia's southern regions. "The bureau uses a combination of wind, temperature and rain thresholds to determine if a warning needs to be issued," the spokesperson said. "When the temperature is colder, combined with strong winds and rain, a warning is more likely to be issued." "For example, if it is 11C and rainy, but with no breeze, a warning wouldn't be triggered. Once winds of 25km/h are added in, this would trigger a warning," the spokesperson explained. "By extension, the colder and rainier it is, the lighter the winds need to be to trigger a warning." McGrath said that sheep shearing takes place in October and November and that the birthing of lambs happens around September or October. When winter does roll around, the lambs are older and more resilient to the cold, and the sheep have regrown their wool. "We manage our whole operation around trying to keep our sheep from being cold," he said. "We have all our property fenced so that we can shelter those sheep in the best possible locations when we get a [sheep grazier] warning." There are also sheds on his property where sheep can be housed in cold and wet weather. But temperature and rainfall can be unpredictable. McGrath recalled a cold night in September decades ago when a large number of his lambs died due to harsh weather conditions. Newborn lambs are susceptible to hypothermia (low body temperature) and can die from it. "The lambs were a week old, and the ewes didn't go to the shelter in the paddock. They stood out in the middle, and we lost lambs," he said. "We would've lost 200 lambs in a night." He said it's a night he won't forget and has learned from. "We're in a vastly different situation with our set-up — with our paddocks and our infrastructure — now than we were then, 40 years ago." The Australian wing of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) publishes guidelines on animal welfare for livestock farmers. One such online resource advises how livestock owners can stay prepared for extreme events and weather. "Emergency events like droughts, fires, floods and other natural disasters are an unfortunate reality ... becoming more frequent as a result of climate change," it reads. "Owners of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry and other farm animals have a duty of care to always ensure the welfare of their animals." In Australia, sheep are reared primarily for their wool and meat. As of 2023, Australia was the world's largest exporter of sheepmeat, both by volume and value, according to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. The sheep and wool industries employed over 16,000 Australians directly and contributed more than $7.9 billion to the Australian economy in 2023-24. Market research company IBISWorld forecasts that the industry will contribute an additional $1 billion to the Australian economy by 2030. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations have both predicted a 48 per cent increase in the producer price of Australian sheepmeat over the next decade. Meat and Livestock Australia estimates that the country had approximately 5.8 per cent of the world's sheep flock in 2022. The gross value of Australian lamb and mutton production is expected to rise by 5 per cent to $4.6 billion in 2024–25. The increase is due to higher prices and higher production cited by the federal government's June 2024 Agricultural Commodities Outlook. Wool has long been associated with Australia. The National Wool Museum in Geelong, Victoria, has artefacts from the sheep industry dating back to the 1790s. The industry has thrived since, making Australia the world's largest producer of wool, in addition to being the world's largest exporter of sheepmeat. According to Trading Economics, as of 21 May, 100 kilograms of Australian wool was priced at $1,189. Animal welfare Extreme Weather Share this with family and friends
ABC News
24-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Trump's trade war puts Australian beef centre stage in Shanghai
At one of the world's largest food trade shows in Shanghai this week, Australia's beef industry was having a moment. Beef exports to China have been surging this year and according to Meat and Livestock Australia's regional manager for greater China Murray Davis, the orders for grain-fed beef are running hot. "Australia is absolutely centre stage [here in China] and we are dominating the premium end of the beef market," he said. "Our major competitor over the last few years has been the United States, but with the trade disputes between China and the US, the US is effectively out of the market at the moment. While the US and China have walked back from the trade war precipice in recent weeks with a 90-day pause on tariffs, Mr Davis said the friction between the two nations was on show at the SIAL food trade show in Shanghai. "Our pavilion at SIAL, we had 300 square metres of space and we were swamped with buyers the whole time," he said. "Right next to it was the United States pavilion which was very quiet, very subdued, and most of the US exhibitors didn't send people over from the United States. Mr Davis, who is based in Shanghai, said the fundamentals for Australia's beef trade with China were strong. "There are some economic headwinds here, in that consumer sentiment is a little bit subdued, the stock market is down, property prices are down, but it still remains a 200,000-tonne-a-year [beef] market for us," he said. "I think no matter what, it's going to remain a very significant market for us in the future." Meanwhile, Australia's largest cattle company's financial year results, released this week, included plenty of green shoots. Australian Agricultural Company (AACo) posted an operating profit of $58.4 million, up 14 per cent year-on-year and its total revenue increased 15 per cent to $389.9 million. Chief executive David Harris said it was a positive outcome during a period of global uncertainty. He said despite Trump's 10 per cent tariff, North America remained AACo's second-biggest market for its branded beef. "Business has been good [with the United States]," he said. "There is no doubting there's been lots of conversations between importers, distributors, customers and ourselves in relation to the tariff. Mr Harris said while AACo did export some beef to China, it was not a major customer for its brands. "We're not over-leveraged into China, but because it moves volumes of beef out of other markets, that certainly helps us in other global markets." Australia is on track to produce a record amount of beef in 2025. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) this week showed 2.2 million head of cattle were killed in the first quarter of 2025, up an incredible 20 per cent on the same period last year. Watch ABC TV's Landline at 12:30pm on Sunday or on ABC iview.
