Australian farmers urge calm against fresh rates imposed on Australian exports by the United States, unless it is a hamburger consumer in the United States.
On Thursday, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, presented his plans of the release day, announcing reciprocal tariffs that the commercial partners would face as of April 5.
Trump highlighted the Australian meat industry in his speech, referring to a possible prohibition of beef imports while offering a generalized 10 percent rate. However, SBS understands that there will be no explicit prohibition of beef.
“We import $ 3 billion of Australian beef only last year. They won’t take anything from our beef. They don’t want it because they don’t want to affect their farmers,” Trump said.
Australia has controls on the importation of fresh products of beef and beef due to concerns about bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as crazy cows disease.
Australian consumers are little affected by tariffs
The farmer of beef Australia Western, Mark Thomas, felt relieved to see that Australia was in a “playing field even with the rest of the world.”
“It seems that 10 percent is the lowest that has been put in countries. So I would say, considering that this is all we have received, it is a good result,” he told SBS News.
Mark Thomas is a farmer from Western Australia. Fountain: SBS news / Christopher Tan
The 37 -year -old explains that rates should not affect the prices that growers receive from the slaughterhouse, since this is established in accordance with supply and demand, which should remain strong.
“Currently, the export prices of beef are historically high, largely due to the fact that the United States has a very low flock number,” Thomas said.
In 2024, Australia exported 394,716 tons of beef to more than 100 markets, with a value of $ 4.16 billion, according to the Red Meat Advisory Council (RMAC).
Australia exported more than 394,000 tons of meat to more than 100 different markets in 2024. Fountain: SBS news / Christopher Tan
“Even with a 10 percent rate, I don’t think he reduces his [abattoir] Mother to zero, “Thomas said.
“While they still have a margin, they will seek to buy cattle.”
Thomas said that Australians should not be largely affected in the payment, since the main fillets are not exported to the United States.
“Much of its lean cut, which is used for hamburgers. So, unless you have hamburgers every night, they probably will not affect you too much,” he said.
Tony Hegarty is a producer of beef and sheep in the Hunter Valley, NSW. Fountain: Supplied
Tony Hegarty, a producer of beef and sheep in the Hunter Valley, said it is important to “keep calm” as the industries understand the complete impacts.
As president of the Cattle Committee of the Association of Farmers of NSW and with more than 40 years of experience as a farmer, Hegarty said the Australian market had diversified to similar pressures.
“We have tried with that before, with China recently, but even until the mid -70s, when the United Kingdom left us and entered the EU [European Union]We had to diversify in the markets, and that is what our industry has done for a long period of time, “Hegarty told SBS News.
He said that while there may be short -term impacts, the market will adjust and send its products elsewhere. They will be largely American clients who face higher costs due to measures.
How American tariffs will increase Big Mac prices in the United States
However, the announcement is bad news for Big Mac lovers in the United States, including Trump.
Americans consume approximately six billion hamburgers containing Australian beef every year, according to RMAC estimates.
Tariffs, which are taxes imposed on imported goods to a country, could increase the prices of hamburgers in the US. UU. As suppliers try to cover the additional rate.
Tariffs could increase hamburger prices in the United States. Credit: Official photography of the White House of Joyce N. Boghosian
The president of RMAC, John McKillop, set the total impact on American consumers of tariffs on Australian red meat of $ 600 million.
“Without the Australian meat mixed with local fatty ornaments, the United States would need to wear higher value cuts in their hamburgers and miss valuable export opportunities,” he said in a statement.
While expressing its disappointment, the CEO of the Australian Industry Council in the industry, Tim Ryan, maintains that the United States remains an important market for Australian meat.
“The foundations around the Australian meat export industry have not changed. We produce a high quality product that the world wants, and that will not change today,” said Ryan.
“We play an important role in the US meat market. UU., And they are currently experiencing a shortage, so the Australian product will continue to have a role in the complement of the national production of the United States.”
They clarified that Australia does not have the prohibition of beef exports in the United States, but has requested that beef made in the US.
The industry welcomes the government’s response
Standing shortly after Trump, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the 10 percent tariffs as “not the act of a friend” and encouraged the Australians to buy a local.
“We will promote the purchase of Australian is a way we can respond. We can be proud of our products,” journalists in Melbourne told.
“We cannot control what determines the administration of the United States, but we can commit to them. This is a decision they have made. It is one that we believe, which is more important, is not of interest to the United States.”
Albanese announced $ 50 million in government funds for affected industries that seek new export markets.
David Jochinke, president of the National Farmers Federation, welcomed the funds in the midst of continuous work with the government to support agriculture and Australian farmers.
“This is the time to defend Australian farmers and support us to continue our workers producing high quality food not only for the nation but also for the world,” he said.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, criticized the government for not ensuring an exemption for Australia.
“If the prime minister had taken advantage of (critical minerals and defense) within the relationship before, I think we would find ourselves in a different position today,” journalists in Perth told.
“We would have had a greater connection and greater communication with the White House, and we demonstrated only a few years ago.”
No country has ensured rates exemptions. Mexico and Canada were not included in this round of rates, since they already have 25 percent tariffs on them. Russia, Cuba, Belarus and North Korea were also absent from the list, but already face “extremely high rates,” according to the White House.
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