EDITORIAL: The Albanese Government must stop telling porkies on beef switch

The Albanese Government may be clinging to its line that the decision to overturn a longstanding de facto ban on US beef imports had nothing to do with pressure from Donald Trump’s Administration to do so.

But the President clearly believes otherwise.

In a post to his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump declared the move by Australia to lift longstanding biosecurity restrictions on beef from North America heralded a “GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICA!” and said:

“For a long time, and even though we are great friends, (Australia) actually banned our Beef,” Mr Trump wrote.

“Now, we are going to sell so much to Australia because this is undeniable and irrefutable Proof that US Beef is the Safest and Best in the entire World. The other Countries that refuse our magnificent Beef are ON NOTICE.”

Given Australia’s abundant supply of the stuff and the US’s relative paucity, it seems unlikely Australian consumers will be willing to buy the higher-cost American product in any quantity that is likely to threaten the livelihoods of Australian graziers or abattoir workers.

No matter how magnificent it is.

The convenient timing of Australia’s biosecurity backdown has the cattle industry on edge.

So, with Mr Trump determined to slap tariffs on any nation he believes is giving American exporters the rough end of the trade pineapple, Australia would be wise to let him have the win, and use it as leverage in negotiations to wind back the levies applied to Australian products.

On Friday however, Trade Minister Don Farrell insisted the decision was based on nothing other than the science.

“We haven’t done this in order to entice the Americans into a trade agreement,” he said.

“We think they should do that anyway. We think the Americans should honour the terms of our free trade agreement.”

And they should. But Mr Trump has made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t feel bound by past agreements, so Australia should be on the look out for anything with which to barter.

The convenient timing of Australia’s biosecurity backdown has the cattle industry on edge.

They’re open to accepting American beef into the Australian market — provided doing so doesn’t jeopardise their own operations. The reason North American beef has been restricted for so long is that it apparently carries the risk of importing serious diseases including foot-and-mouth and mad cow, into Australia.

The Department of Agriculture now says it is satisfied that improvements in American tracing systems means that risk has been eradicated.

Understandably, the cattle industry want a little more than DAFF’s word. They’ve asked for an independent scientific panel to review the decision.

So far, the Government has not agreed to do so.

When asked on Thursday if she would publicly release the advice which prompted Australia’s policy switch, Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said it was “not what is done usually”.

But if the Government wishes to allay the industry angst the decision has caused, releasing the science is a no-brainer.