Allowing US beef to enter Australia to avoid tariffs imposed by Donald Trump would pose a significant risk to farmers, the prime minister has been warned.
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The federal government is considering granting more American beef producers access to the local market as Anthony Albanese seeks to strike a tariff deal in a potential meeting with the US president.
But Nationals leader David Littleproud has urged Mr Albanese not to put the industry at risk, saying an introduction of US beef would threaten biosecurity.
"It's important that the federal government looks Australian farmers in the eyes and says to them that they won't be collateral in trying to cut a deal with President Trump," he told reporters in Brisbane on Friday.
"We should not take a backward step and concede by a security code deposit of protecting the agricultural industry here in Australia."
Beef imports from the US have been banned in Australia since 2003 after an outbreak of mad cow disease.
The ban was overturned in 2019 for cattle raised and slaughtered in the US, but large amounts of beef sent to American abattoirs come from Mexico or Canada.
Mr Littleproud said ensuring the origin of beef imported into Australia was critical.
"This will decimate the agricultural sector if we blink and allow President Trump to be able to roll over us on biosecurity," he said.
"Traceability is so important and this is why we shouldn't be playing with President Trump talking about biosecurity.
"We should be talking about a rules-based order of trade."
Demand for Australian beef has been strong due to the ongoing drought in the US and America's lower herd numbers.
At the end of 2024, a much lower supply from the US was improving Australian prices and international market value.
The prime minister is expected to meet with Mr Trump on the sidelines of the G7 conference or in the US in mid-June, after the US president exempted the UK from his supercharged tariffs.
The UK deal offers hope to Australia, if the government plays its cards correctly, but Mr Albanese confirmed any tariff deal would not be at the expense of Australia's biosecurity.
"We will not change or compromise any of the issues regarding biosecurity," 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."
National Farmers Federation president David Jochinke welcomed the comments and said biosecurity assessment processes were crucial to ensuring imports were safe.
The Department of Agriculture is reviewing Mexican and Canadian beef.
Mr Albanese has had three conversations with Mr Trump but said he was looking forward to meeting him in person, calling him an "interesting character".
Though US beef is up for discussion, Health Minister Mark Butler ruled out bargaining with Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
Government officials insist they seek 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.
Australian Associated Press
