Latest news with #BrookeRollins
CBS News
14 minutes ago
- Business
- CBS News
Trump admin. touts "major trade breakthrough" as Australia says it will ease U.S. beef import restrictions
Melbourne, Australia — Australia announced it will reduce restrictions on U.S. beef imports in a move President Trump's administration claimed as a major victory over "non-scientific trade barriers" to trade. Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said Thursday that relaxing the restrictions designed to keep Australia free of mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE, would not compromise biosecurity. "Australia stands for open and free trade — our cattle industry has significantly benefited from this," Collins said in a statement. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins responded to Australia's announcement by congratulating Mr. Trump on a "major trade breakthrough that gives greater access to U.S. beef producers selling to Australia." She issued a statement under the headline: "Make Agriculture Great Again Trade Wins." "American farmers and ranchers produce the safest, healthiest beef in the world. It's absurd that non-scientific trade barriers prevented our beef from being sold to consumers in Australia for the last 20 years," Rollins said. "Gone are the days of putting American farmers on the sidelines. This is yet another example of the kind of market access the President negotiates to bring America into a new golden age of prosperity, with American agriculture leading the way." Australia has allowed imports of beef grown in the U.S. since 2019, but not allowed imports from the U.S. of beef sourced from Canada or Mexico because of the disease risk. The U.S. has recently introduced additional movement controls that identify and trace all cattle from Mexico and Canada to their farms of origin. Australian authorities were "satisfied the strengthened control measures put in place by the U.S. effectively manage biosecurity risks," Collins said. The timing of the new, reduced restrictions has not been finalized. Mr. Trump attacked Australian import restrictions on U.S. beef when he announced in April that tariffs of at least 10% would be placed on Australian imports, with steel and aluminum facing a 50% tariff. "Australia bans — and they're wonderful people, and wonderful everything — but they ban American beef," Mr. Trump told reporters then. "Yet we imported $3 billion of Australian beef from them just last year alone. They won't take any of our beef. They don't want it because they don't want it to affect their farmers and, you know, I don't blame them, but we're doing the same thing right now." Opposition lawmaker David Littleproud said he suspected the government was endangering Australia's cattle industry to appease Mr. Trump. "I want to see the science and it should be predicated on science. I'm suspicious of the speed at which this has been done," Littleproud told reporters. "We need to give confidence to the industry, but also to you (the public): this is not just about animal welfare, this is about human welfare, this is about BSE potentially coming into this country and having a human impact, so I think it's important the government's very transparent about the science and I don't think it's even beyond the question to have an independent panel review that science to give confidence to everybody," he added. Around 70% of Australian beef is exported. Producers fear that export market would vanish overnight if diseases including mad cow or foot-and-mouth disease infected Australian cattle. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been only six BSE cases in U.S. cattle since the major international outbreak of the disease — which was centered in the U.K. and other European nations — in the late 1980s and early 1990s. One of those cows was imported from Canada and believed to have been infected there, and the other five, "were diagnosed with atypical BSE, which many researchers believe to be a sporadic illness not caused by contaminated feed," the CDC says. Will Evans, chief executive of Cattle Australia who represents more than 52,000 grass-fed beef producers across the nation, said he was confident the agriculture department had taken a cautious approach toward U.S. imports. "The department's undertaken a technical scientific assessment and we have to put faith in them. They've made this assessment themselves. They've said: 'We've looked at this, we've looked at the best science, this is a decision that we feel comfortable with,'" Evans said. "When you have a $75 billion (Australian $50 billion) industry relying on them not making this mistake, I'm sure they've been very cautious in their decision-making," he added. But Australian demand for U.S. beef is likely to remain low despite the eased restrictions, for reasons including a relatively weak Australian dollar. Evans, of Cattle Australia, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation he wasn't worried about the new government policy flooding Australia's domestic market with American beef. He said the U.S. domestic market currently relieds on imports of Australian beef, which he said was about 50 cents cheaper than U.S. beef per pound. "The likelihood of them (U.S.) turning around and looking to Australia as a really high value market [to export to] is very low," he said. "If I was an exporter of U.S. beef, I would be looking at Japan, Korea and China as being really viable and valuable markets. I don't really think Australia rates highly on that list." Simon Quilty, an analyst with Global Agri Trends, agreed that it was unlikely Australian consumers would soon see U.S. beef in on their grocery stores shelves. "Honestly, if there is a pound of U.S. beef shipped to Australia in the next three years, I will be gobsmacked," he told ABC. Beef prices have been rising in the U.S. for years, due to factors including prolonged drought and shrinking domestic herd numbers. The average price of a pound of ground beef in the U.S. rose to $6.12 in June, up nearly 12% from a year ago, according to U.S. government data. The average price of all uncooked beef steaks rose 8% to $11.49 per pound. Australia's opposition to any U.S. tariffs will be high on the agenda when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese secures his first face-to-face meeting with Mr. Trump. Albanese and Mr. Trump were to hold a one-on-one meeting on the sidelines of a Group of Seven summit in Canada last month, but the U.S. president left early. Albanese expects the pair will meet this year, although no date has been announced. The two countries have had a bilateral free trade deal for 20 years and the U.S. has maintained a trade surplus with Australia for decades.
SBS Australia
3 hours ago
- Business
- SBS Australia
US hails move to drop 'absurd' beef ban, as Labor says 'nothing suspicious'
The United States has hailed Australia's decision to drop a partial ban on beef imports as a "major trade breakthrough" for Donald Trump and his administration, as the federal government faces questions over whether the move was made to appease the president. The Opposition has also raised biosecurity concerns over Thursday's announcement, with the federal government insisting the decision followed a decade-long science-based review. Many Australian cattle producers will have been left blindsided by the decision, an industry group says, but the level of American product arriving in Australia is expected to be very low. "American farmers and ranchers produce the safest, healthiest beef in the world. It's absurd that non-scientific trade barriers prevented our beef from being sold to consumers in Australia for the last 20 years," US agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement. "Gone are the days of putting American farmers on the sidelines. This is yet another example of the kind of market access the president negotiates to bring America into a new golden age of prosperity, with American agriculture leading the way." Agriculture Minister Julie Collins says Australia would "never compromise" on biosecurity. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas The US has been able to send beef to Australia since 2019, but any beef raised in Canada or Mexico before being slaughtered and processed in the US was previously barred due to biosecurity concerns. One concern was that Mexico's livestock tracking system could inadvertently lead producers to import beef from parts of the continent where there were disease outbreaks. But the latest announcement will lift the ban on beef sourced from Canada or Mexico after the US introduced more robust movement controls in late 2024 and early 2025, allowing for improved identification and tracing throughout the supply chain. The change is widely viewed as a bargaining chip Australia could use while attempting to push for tariff exemptions from the US. 'Nothing suspicious' about beef ban lift "It looks as though it's (biosecurity) been traded away to appease Donald Trump," Littleproud told ABC's Radio National on Thursday. He said the government has been "flat-footed" in negotiations and was now risking biosecurity to play "catch-up". Trade Minister Don Farrell said the timing had nothing to do with US calls, saying: "There's nothing suspicious about this". "If we want to export our beef overseas, then we have to accept that other countries will want to import their beef into Australia," he told Sky News. The Opposition has also raised biosecurity concerns, with frontbencher James Paterson calling on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to "stand up ... and explain" to Australia's beef farmers that the government hasn't "watered down" biosecurity. "The prime minister himself has said [in April] that we couldn't relax the restrictions on the importation of US beef because of serious biosecurity concerns," Paterson said. "So if the government has found some way of dealing with that issue, protecting our domestic agricultural industry from the introduction of foreign diseases and pests, then they should say so." Nationals leader David Littleproud has demanded further information about the decision, accusing the government of using the beef industry to play "catch up" in negotiations with US President Donald Trump. Source: AAP Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said it was something Australia would "never compromise" on. "The US beef imports review has undergone a rigorous science and risk-based assessment over the past decade," Collins said. "The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is satisfied the strengthened control measures put in place by the US effectively manage biosecurity risks." Australian producers may feel 'blindsided', but industry figures not rattled Cattle Australia CEO Will Evans believed the move would not have been made unless the government had the utmost confidence in the science, but said some would still be unhappy with its decision. "There's going to be a lot of people today who feel blindsided by this, there's going to be a lot of people who are going to feel really frustrated and threatened by this," he told ABC radio. "We need to talk to them. "The US is an incredibly important trading partner — we need to maintain access and we need to maintain relationships with them." Evans said the industry had "put faith" in the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry's expertise, with the deal largely favouring Australian exporters. "They've made this assessment themselves. They've said: 'look, we've looked at this. We've looked at the best science. This is a decision we feel comfortable with'," he said. Some have raised worries US beef could impact Australia's domestic market, but industry representatives remain relatively unperturbed. "It's a bit like selling ice to Eskimos," Australian Meat Industry Council CEO Tim Ryan told the ABC. Evans said the domestic beef industry is self-sufficient and any imports of US beef are "unlikely to have any effect on the market here". The US beef industry can't supply domestic demand, he said. The US remains one of the main export markets for Australian beef. — With additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press.
UPI
14 hours ago
- Business
- UPI
New details unveiled on USDA's 'Great American Farmers Market'
The Great American Farmers Market will run from August 3-8 on the National Mall. On Wednesday, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins (pictured March 26 outside the White House in Washington, D.C.) said the event will provide a "perfect opportunity to showcase the rich bounty of our agriculture." File Photo by Francis Chung/UPI | License Photo July 23 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture unveiled further details Wednesday on the looming six-day "Great American Farmers Market" in Washington and which is slated to start in a little over a week. "America's farmers, ranchers and producers dedicate their lives to feeding their fellow citizens," said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in a statement. USDA officials announced earlier this month the department will host the event from Aug. 3 to Aug 8. on the National Mall in the nation's capital and will invite local American producers and growers to attend. A ribbon-cutting with live music will be part of the kick-off at Sunday's opening ceremony at 4 p.m. EDT on August 3. The Great American Farmers Market will be held as part of America 250, the celebration of the country's birthday, and will bring 50 vendors a day from 28 states. On Wednesday, Rollins added that the GAFM event on the National Mall will provide a "perfect opportunity to showcase the rich bounty of our agriculture." Organizers have hosted a farmers market every year since 1995 to provide access for vendors in the Washington, D.C., area. This year, the event is being expanded to include farmers from all 50 states. On August 4, Rollins and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will take part in a cooking demonstration that will also see "wellness-inspired activities," such as sunset goat yoga. The next day for "Faith and Fellowship Tuesday" will see live worship bands and people of different religions taking part. Dr. Alveda King, niece of slain civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., will be will be featured in the daily events to "reflect, celebrate, and serve through shared spiritual experiences that honor the role of faith in agricultural life and community wellbeing," according to officials. On Wednesday, the day's theme of "Protecting America's Legacy" will focus on forests, firefighters and "salute the heroes who safeguard America's landscapes." It will feature interactive talks and a special meet-and-greet with Smokey Bear. The next day will be "America the Beautiful Day." Thursday's festivities will see seed-planting for kids, garden tours and a "special visit" by a George Washington impersonator to tell the story of his 250-year-old cherries. Closing out the nearly week-long event will be "Farmer First Friday" on August 8 to "honor the backbone of American agriculture" with tributes, face painting, a move night showing of Charlotte's Webb, in addition to other daily activities.
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
USDA grants more than $675M for Florida's hurricane-affected farmers
July 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture is unleashing more than a half billion dollars in further aid to Florida growers and businesses in the aftermath of Hurricanes Idalia, Debby, Helene and Milton. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was in the Sunshine State on Monday to meet with Florida officials, business, agricultural leaders and producers and signed a $675.9 million federal block grant with the state's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to provide additional relief for Florida's farmers to cover loses in its infrastructure, citrus and timber industry. In a statement, Rollins noted that American farmers and ranchers in Florida's southeast "have been hit hard and suffered significant economic losses during the last two hurricane seasons." "USDA has worked closely with the State of Florida to ensure those impacted have the relief they need," she said, adding the administration "has our farmers' backs and will ensure they have the resources they need to continue to produce the safest, most reliable and most abundant food supply in the world." Hurricane Helene's near-record-breaking size and storm surge last year in September wreaked havoc and caused billions of dollars in damage along over 500 miles of Florida's coastline. It ended with over 230 people dead in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia as the storm flooded towns, destroyed roads and bridges, and Helene swept away homes, farms and livelihoods. In June, USDA said Florida's orange crop for the 2024-2025 season was predicted to be its smallest since before World War II, with plummeting orange juice sales down over 50% since 2000. Rollins said Monday in a social media video that Floridians had faced "such difficult challenges over the last decade or so, most recently with all the hurricanes that have hit." "Most importantly, help is coming to our growers," the secretary said in Felda after her meeting with state and local officials. "It's right around the corner," she added. The $675 million federal infusion of dollars for FDACS to administer came as part of funding via the 2025 American Relief Act. On Monday, Florida's agriculture chief stated that his state's producers had endured "back-to-back devastating hurricane seasons," describing the additional federal assistance as a "major victory that will help them rebuild, recover and continue feeding our state and nation." "Food production is not just an economic issue, it's a matter of national security," said Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson. "And we appreciate the president's consistent support for our farmers." Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
UPI
2 days ago
- Business
- UPI
USDA grants more than $675M for Florida's hurricane-affected farmers
1 of 5 | U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins (pictured July 15 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.) said Tuesday that American farmers and ranchers in Florida "have been hit hard and suffered significant economic losses during the last two hurricane seasons." Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture is unleashing more than a half million dollars in further aid to Florida growers and businesses in the aftermath of Hurricanes Idalia, Debby, Helene and Milton. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was in the Sunshine State on Monday to meet with Florida officials, business, agricultural leaders and producers and signed a $675.9 million federal block grant with the state's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to provide additional relief for Florida's farmers to cover loses in its infrastructure, citrus and timber industry. In a statement, Rollins noted that American farmers and ranchers in Florida's southeast "have been hit hard and suffered significant economic losses during the last two hurricane seasons." "USDA has worked closely with the State of Florida to ensure those impacted have the relief they need," she said, adding the administration "has our farmers' backs and will ensure they have the resources they need to continue to produce the safest, most reliable and most abundant food supply in the world." Hurricane Helene's near-record-breaking size and storm surge last year in September wreaked havoc and caused billions of dollars in damage along over 500 miles of Florida's coastline. It ended with over 230 people dead in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia as the storm flooded towns, destroyed roads and bridges, and Helene swept away homes, farms and livelihoods. In June, USDA said Florida's orange crop for the 2024-2025 season was predicted to be its smallest since before World War II, with plummeting orange juice sales down over 50% since 2000. Rollins said Monday in a social media video that Floridians had faced "such difficult challenges over the last decade or so, most recently with all the hurricanes that have hit." "Most importantly, help is coming to our growers," the secretary said in Felda after her meeting with state and local officials. "It's right around the corner," she added. The $675 million federal infusion of dollars for FDACS to administer came as part of funding via the 2025 American Relief Act. On Monday, Florida's agriculture chief stated that his state's producers had endured "back-to-back devastating hurricane seasons," describing the additional federal assistance as a "major victory that will help them rebuild, recover and continue feeding our state and nation." "Food production is not just an economic issue, it's a matter of national security," said Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson. "And we appreciate the president's consistent support for our farmers."
