Market access

PROGRAM OBJECTIVE	KPIs	OUTCOMES	BENEFITS	FUTURE
Maintain and improve access to international markets	Reduce trade barriers in at least one market Ensure industry’s priorities for trade reform are acknowledged	Japan beef safeguard not triggered Trade Minister and negotiators acknowledge priorities	Market uncertainty reduced Potential reduction in tariff barrier	Continued trade reform advocacy Partnership with key government trade negotiators

AMIC’s Roger Fletcher and MLA Chairman Don Heatley head to the Trade Minister’s office to make representations for increased sheepmeat access to the EU

WTO activities

During the glacially slow progress of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Round we have continued to proactively communicate the Australian red meat industry’s position and ensure its priorities remain on the negotiation table. These priorities include lower beef import barriers in Japan, Korea, South Asia and the European Union and improved access for sheepmeat in the EU and South Africa.

During the five years the WTO Doha Round has been in progress we have continued to emphasise the need to secure real new trade flows with Australia’s Trade Minister and trade negotiators in Canberra, Geneva and Brussels.

We have been involved on a select working group to review technical papers arising out of the WTO negotiations; represented industry interests at Cairns Group Farm Leaders meetings; presented on beef trade reform at the Five Nations Beef Conference; and met with the Chair of the WTO Agriculture Committee to emphasise the importance of securing genuine trade reform for beef and sheepmeat.

Bilateral defence and improvement

Monitoring and reporting on the re-entry of US beef to our North Asia markets dominated access activities in this region. The status of increased competition was regularly communicated to the Australian industry and key customers in Japan and Korea.

MLA worked closely with the Australian Wagyu industry on making representations to the Japanese Government on its moves to safeguard Wagyu genetics and the labelling of Wagyu product in Japan. Discussions are continuing.

With support from the Australian Government and Embassy, we advocated modification to the beef import tariff snapback reference period in Japan, thereby averting the import tariff increasing from 38.5% to 50%.

Other key activities in North Asia included our high level input into the Australia–Japan free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations and the FTA feasibility study underway with Korea.

This builds on our close involvement with other FTA negotiations in China, Malaysia, ASEAN, Chile and the Gulf Cooperative Council, as well as the economic relations study in progress with Mexico.

As a market with potential benefit for the Australian industry, our work in China has concentrated on trade facilitation including liaison with authorities regarding China’s import regime (protocols, non-tariff barriers and import regulations).

We continue to make representations on technical access issues such as country of origin labeling, traceability and certification standards. In addition, we have reinforced the integrity of Australian Halal procedures with overseas customers.

In other markets, strong liaison with trade and governments kept beef access on the agenda in Malaysia and work continued on improving import regulations for beef offal exports to Indonesia.

In conjunction with the Sheepmeat Council of Australia, we built closer rapport with the United Kingdom, French and South African sheepmeat producer organisations, and enhanced our ongoing work with US and New Zealand sheep producers under the Tri-Lamb alliance.

The accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU sparked our representation to Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to secure compensation for prior trade performance via expansion of Australia’s country-specific EU quotas.

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