Labor lifts US beef ban amid tariff talks
American beef imports have emerged as a key negotiating item in the Albanese government's efforts to secure a tariff carve out.
The Trump administration has been pushing for Australia to loosen import rules to include beef from cattle originating in Canada and Mexico but slaughtered in the US.
The Prime Minister confirmed last month biosecurity officials were reviewing the request but vowed his government would not 'compromise' Australia's strict bio laws amid outrage from the Nationals and cattle farmers.
Confirming reporting overnight that the ban had been lifted, Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth denied the Albanese government had not been transparent in its handling of the US demand.
'Obviously, for national security reasons, at times, governments of all persuasions haven't put everything into the public domain,' she told Nine's Today.
'But when it comes to what's known as the beef review … that review has been underway for a decade or over a decade, looking at how we can make sure that our biosecurity is safe.
'We will not compromise on biosecurity.
'That review has been undertaken and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry believe that there are the right controls in place in the US to lift that ban.'
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