The US would sell “so much” beef to Australia, US President Donald Trump said on Thursday after Canberra relaxed import restrictions, adding that other countries that refused US beef products were on notice.
Australia on Thursday said it would loosen biosecurity rules for US beef, something analysts predicted would not significantly increase US shipments because Australia is a major beef producer and exporter whose prices are much lower.
“We are going to sell so much to Australia because this is undeniable and irrefutable Proof that U.S. Beef is the Safest and Best in the entire World,” Trump wrote on social media.
Photo: Reuters
“The other Countries that refuse our magnificent Beef are ON NOTICE,” the post continued.
Trump has attempted to renegotiate trade deals with numerous countries he says have taken advantage of the US — a characterization many economists dispute.
“For decades, Australia imposed unjustified barriers on US beef,” US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement, calling Australia’s decision a “major milestone in lowering trade barriers and securing market access for US farmers and ranchers.”
Australia is not a significant importer of beef, but the US is and a production slump is forcing it to step up purchases.
Last year, Australia shipped almost 400,000 tonnes of beef worth US$2.9 billion to the US, with just 269 tons of US product moving the other way.
Australian officials said the relaxation of restrictions was not part of any trade negotiations, but the result of a years-long assessment of US biosecurity practices.
Canberra has restricted US beef imports since 2003 due to concerns about bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease. Since 2019, it has allowed in meat from animals born, raised and slaughtered in the US, but few suppliers were able to prove that their cattle had not been in Canada and Mexico.
On Wednesday, the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said US cattle traceability and control systems had improved enough that Australia could accept beef from cattle born in Canada or Mexico and slaughtered in the US.
The decision has caused some concern in Australia, where biosecurity is seen as essential to prevent diseases and pests from ravaging the farm sector.
“We need to know if [the government] is sacrificing our high biosecurity standards just so [Australian] Prime Minister Anthony Albanese can obtain a meeting with US President Donald Trump,” shadow agriculture minister David Littleproud said in a statement.
Australia, which imports more from the US than it exports, faces a 10 percent across-the-board US tariff, as well 50 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum. Trump has also threatened to impose a 200 percent tariff on pharmaceuticals.
Asked whether the change would help achieve a trade deal, Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell said: “I’m not too sure.”
“We haven’t done this in order to entice the Americans into a trade agreement,” he said. “We think that they should do that anyway.”
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