Next time Aussies famously “throw another shrimp on the barbie” there may well be a piece of prime U.S. beef sizzling away there too in yet another win for the Trump administration.
That follows a spectacular backflip Thursday where the left-wing Labor government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the end of all restrictions levelled against American beef imports in a move the White House hailed as a major victory over “non-scientific trade barriers” that had stranded U.S. farmers “on the sidelines” for two decades.
Albanese had solemnly vowed back in April to stand firm and not to give in while U.S. President Donald Trump demanded full access for all U.S. beef.
Australia’s left-wing Labor government led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has backflipped and heeded President Donald Trump’s demand for free and open access for U.S. beef Down Under. (David Gray/Getty Images)
Australia’s Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said relaxing the restrictions – originally designed to keep the country free of mad cow disease – would mean a more open, competitive marketplace Down Under.
“Australia stands for open and free trade — our cattle industry has significantly benefited from this,” Collins said in a statement as seen by AP.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins responded to Australia’s move by congratulating Trump on a “major trade breakthrough that gives greater access to U.S. beef producers selling to Australia.”
She issued a statement under the headline: Make Agriculture Great Again Trade Wins, saying:
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.
Gone are the days of putting American farmers on the sidelines. This is yet another example of the kind of market access the President negotiates to bring America into a new golden age of prosperity, with American agriculture leading the way.
Australia has allowed imports of beef grown in the United States since 2019 but not allowed produce from the U.S. of beef sourced from Canada or Mexico because of the disease risk.
The U.S. has recently introduced additional movement controls that identify and trace all cattle from Mexico and Canada to their farms of origin.
AP reports Trump attacked Australian import restrictions on U.S. beef when he announced in April that tariffs of at least ten percent would be placed on imports from Down Under, with steel and aluminum facing a 50 percent tariff.
The president singled out Australia as he unveiled his “Liberation Day” tariffs, accusing the close ally of banning American meat while cashing in on exports to the United States.
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“Australia bans — and they’re wonderful people, and wonderful everything — but they ban American beef,” Trump told reporters then.
“Yet we imported $3 billion of Australian beef from them just last year alone. They won’t take any of our beef. They don’t want it because they don’t want it to affect their farmers and, you know, I don’t blame them, but we’re doing the same thing right now,” Trump added.
Canberra is yet to announce a date for the full and final lifting of restrictions against all imported U.S. beef products.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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