CANBERRA, July 24 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government has lifted long-standing import restrictions on U.S. beef.
Julie Collins, the minister for agriculture, on Thursday said that the government is satisfied that strengthened control measures put in place by the United States can effectively manage beef biosecurity risks to Australia.
Australia imposed a blanket ban on U.S. beef imports in 2003 in response to an outbreak of mad cow disease. Restrictions were eased in 2019 to allow U.S. beef into Australia, but some products, including beef from cattle raised in Canada and Mexico but slaughtered in the United States, were still banned.
Because the supply chain between the three North American countries is largely integrated and products could not be reliably tracked, no U.S. beef entered Australia after the 2019 easing of restrictions.
President Donald Trump's administration in April identified Australia's effective ban on U.S. beef as a trade grievance prior to imposing a 10 percent tariff on all imports from Australia, including beef.
Collins said in a statement that more robust movement controls introduced by the United States means that cattle can be traced back to their original farms, allowing more certainty that beef products are not carrying disease or pests dangerous to Australia.
She said that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's current government would "never" compromise on biosecurity.
"The U.S. Beef Imports Review has undergone a rigorous science and risk-based assessment over the past decade."
Chief executive of NGO Cattle Australia Will Evans told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio that the industry recognizes the decision was made based on science and was aligned with Australia's position as a free-trading nation.
Evans said that he expects lifting the ban will not lead to large volumes of U.S. beef entering Australia because local products are cheaper.
The government said that Australian businesses will be able to apply for permits to import U.S. beef products from July 28. ■
