Pictured before his speech at yesterday’s NFF conference, Jason Shearer-Smith from Smithfield Cattle Co, Proston, with Vivienne McCollum from AGK Services.
A LEADING beef producer and lotfeeder believes Australia lacks trade-smarts when it comes to negotiating export deals.
Smithfield Cattle Co managing director Jason Shearer-Smith told yesterday’s NFF AgXChange conference on the Gold Coast he thought Australia historically had done quite a poor job at negotiating our trade agreements.
“We’re the only country in the world that has a beef quota to go into China. You look at the rules and regulations and the hurdles we need to jump to, to go into the EU market – we have to highest standards of anyone in the world going into the EU,” Mr Shearer-Smith said.
“If Australia accepts terms of trade with a country but then the importing country accepts different standards from another country, Australia should be able to adopt those standards,” he said.
“We set the bar super-high. Australian farmers say ‘yep, we can do that’ and our exporters bend over backwards and do what’s asked of them. But, at the end of the day, others get access and it’s to our detriment.”
However, Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins used her conference address to praise the export performance of Australia’s red meat industry.
“The incredible success of this (red meat) industry in recent years underscores what hard work can help deliver,” she told the Gold Coast
audience.
“Since May 2022 the government had facilitated new access and listing approvals for more than 100 Australian beef meat establishments across more
than 20 markets,” she said.
“Aussie beef has had back-to-back record-breaking years. In 2024-25 alone, beef exports are worth more than $16 billion. Supported by reinstated and improved
market access, these exports have increased by 62pc compared to almost $10 billion in 2021-22.
“The central message here is the world wants our produce and our government is laser-focused on ensuring that we can take advantage of these
opportunities,” she said.