Australia lifts US beef restrictions slammed by Trump

Canberra says restrictions volition beryllium lifted pursuing a ‘rigorous subject and risk-based assessment’.

Australia has announced that it volition assistance pugnacious restrictions connected beef imports from the United States, removing measures singled retired for disapproval by US President Donald Trump.

Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said the authorities would region the biosecurity restrictions aft a “rigorous subject and risk-based assessment” recovered risks of illness were being managed connected the US side.

“Australia stands for unfastened and just commercialized – our cattle manufacture has importantly benefitted from this,” Collins said successful a statement.

Australia, which has immoderate of the world’s toughest biosecurity measures, has until present not accepted beef from cattle raised successful Canada and Mexico but slaughtered successful the US.

Canberra lifted a prohibition connected beef from cows raised and slaughtered successful the US, introduced successful effect to an outbreak of huffy cattle disease, in 2019.

The determination comes aft Trump called retired Australia’s restrictions connected US beef successful his April 2 “Liberation Day” announcement of sweeping tariffs connected dozens of countries.

“Australia bans – and they’re fantastic radical and fantastic everything – but they prohibition American beef,” Trump said.

“They won’t instrumentality immoderate of our beef,” Trump added.

“They don’t privation it due to the fact that they don’t privation it to impact their farmers and you know, I don’t blasted them but we’re doing the aforesaid happening close present starting astatine midnight tonight, I would say.”

Australia, which exports astir 70 percent of its beef, is among the main suppliers of reddish nutrient to the US, but consumes small US beef.

Australia, which has been taxable to Trump’s baseline 10 percent tariff since April, exported astir 26,000 tonnes of beef and veal to the US successful the archetypal 3 weeks of July, according to authorities statistics.

Meat & Livestock Australia, a producer-owned institution that supports the section beef industry, said the changes would person a minimal effect connected the market.

“The imaginable for US beef to beryllium imported into Australia successful ample volumes is minimal, fixed the precocious request for beef successful the US, the debased US cattle herd, the spot of the Australian dollar, our competitory home supply, and astir importantly Australians’ beardown penchant for high-quality, tasty and nutritious Australian beef,” the institution said.

“In fact, request for Australian beef successful the US continues to grow. In June 2025, exports to the US roseate 24 percent year-on-year, contempt a 10 percent tariff introduced successful April.”