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Australia reopening its market to U.S. beef has larger implications

For the first time in more than two decades, Australia will accept shipments of fresh and frozen U.S. beef.

Kent Bacus, executive director of government affairs with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, says this is a huge win. “There’s been really no scientific justification to keep us out,” he says. “This is just a lot of protection and these regulatory burdens we’ve had to overcome.”

He tells Brownfield Australia’s decision reflects the country’s confidence in the health and safety of American beef. “This is really important though, because the Australians compete with us in a lot of other markets and yet they’ve never accepted our health and safety,” he says.  “That’s always something they try to hold over us, especially trying to market to our consumers around Asia and other parts of the world.”

Bacus says Australia isn’t likely to be a huge export market for U.S. beef.  “But, this is really about opportunities in other countries,” he says.  “The fact that we are going to continue to be very competitive against the Australians in those markets.”

While the U.S. hasn’t exported beef to Australia since the trade agreement between the two countries was implemented in 2005, Australia has sold more than $28.7 billion worth of its beef to the U.S. 

AUDIO: Kent Bacus, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association