Trump says Australia has agreed to accept American beef
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Meat from animals born, raised and slaughtered in the US has been allowed into Australia since 2019, but few suppliers were able to prove their animals had been only in the US.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON – Australia has agreed to open its market to American beef, US President Donald Trump said on July 24, after the US ally eased restrictions on imports that had angered the American leader.
The Trump administration hailed the deal, announced by Australia earlier on July 24, as a win, even as analysts said the step was unlikely to significantly boost US shipments because beef prices are much lower in Australia.
“The other Countries that refuse our magnificent Beef are ON NOTICE,” Mr Trump said in a post on Truth Social on July 24.
Since returning to the White House in January, Mr Trump has attempted to renegotiate trade deals with multiple countries
Australian Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said earlier on July 24 that a “rigorous science and risk-based assessment” had concluded that US measures to monitor and control the movement of cattle meant biosecurity risks – which Australia was previously concerned about – were being effectively managed.
Meat from animals born, raised and slaughtered in the US has been allowed into Australia since 2019. But few suppliers were able to prove their animals had been only in the US, because cattle frequently moved between the US, Canada and Mexico without being adequately tracked.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement welcoming the move that Australia had imposed “unjustified barriers” on US beef that were now being lifted.
“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,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in the same statement.
The US has been improving its ability to monitor animals’ movements to limit the spread of avian influenza and the New World screwworm, a parasite that eats cattle alive.
Recognising those improvements, Australia will now also accept beef sourced from cattle born in Canada or Mexico and legally imported and slaughtered in the US, said Australia’s Agriculture Ministry.
Australian companies will be able to apply for import permits from July 28, it added. REUTERS
