Australia is considering allowing US beef imports as it seeks to strike a tariff deal with Donald Trump, provided it doesn’t compromise national biosecurity protocols.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is preparing for a potential meeting with the US president shortly after he granted the UK an exemption to his supercharged tariffs.
The UK deal offers hope to Australia, if the government plays its cards correctly, as it considers allowing US beef producers access to the local market.
But Mr Albanese says any tariff deal won’t be at the expense of Australia’s biosecurity.
“We will not change or compromise any of the issues regarding biosecurity … it’s simply not worth it,” he told ABC radio on Friday.
“If things can be sorted out in a way that protects our biosecurity, of course, we don’t just say ‘no, we don’t want imports here for the sake of it’.
“But our first priority is biosecurity.”
Both leaders are expected to meet on the sidelines of the G7 conference or in the US during a June trip to North America.
The US has long taken issue with the lack of access to Australia’s domestic beef market.
Australia previously placed restrictions on fresh US beef imports in 2003 after mad cow disease, but the ban was lifted in 2019 and beef raised and slaughtered in the US can already be exported to Australia.
Mr Trump’s administration is now demanding that Australia accept imports of beef raised in Canada or Mexico then slaughtered and processed in the US.
However, some have raised worries about deficiencies in Mexico’s livestock tracking system, which could inadvertently import beef from parts of the continent where disease outbreaks are a concern.
Biosecurity officials are reviewing the consideration.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley previously said the coalition was ready to work with Labor to ensure Australia could also secure a tariff carve out.
Mr Albanese has already had three conversations with Mr Trump but said he was looking forward to meeting him in-person, calling him an “interesting character”.
While he acknowledged the mutual respect between both nations, Mr Albanese re-asserted Australia’s independence.
“The United States is an important ally for Australia,” he said.
“We don’t have a subservient relationship to any nation. We’re a sovereign nation that stands on our own two feet.”
Though US beef is up for discussion, Health Minister Mark Butler expressly ruled out bargaining with Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
Government officials have repeatedly said they are seeking a full exemption from all tariffs after Mr Trump imposed a 50 per cent steel and aluminium tariff on all trading partners except the UK, on top of his baseline 10 per cent “Liberation Day” levies.
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