Australia awaits an agreement with the EU that could potentially be beneficial for the local red meat sector.
This was the topic of discussion as Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC) general manager of trade Sam Munsie and Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) global manager for trade Andrew McCallum discussed global trade issues from a local perspective.
During the conversation that took place at the Meat Processing and Export Conference (MPEC), Munsie mentioned the advantages for Australia in an EU Free Trade Agreement, and emphasised the specific needs of the Australian red meat sector. Munsie expressed openness to solutions and further discussions.
“The Trade Minister told us last week that he is expecting a call from his European counterparts this week,” said Munsie.
“If some of the (EU) messages shift – and they are not going to come back to us with what we had last time – then great, let’s have the discussion.”
The 350 attendees at MPEC were told that the industry would collaborate with the Australian government to secure a trade agreement. This agreement with the EU could benefit the industry in the long term.
McCallum emphasised the importance of prioritising negotiations with the EU to help grow the industry.
“I’ve noticed in some of the meetings over the last couple of days, the EU were complaining about 20 per cent tariffs that Trump put on,” said McCallum.
“We’ve been paying 20 per cent tariffs on Australian beef into the EU for the last 50 years, so the EU has a long way to go to show that they are serious about doing a Free Trade Agreement with Australia.”
MPEC is a two-day conference held on the Queensland Gold Coast for the Australian red meat export and processing sector.