Australia’s Meat Industry Council’s (AMIC) and the Ministry for Agriculture and Water Resources were among the organisations that welcomed the deal and said the move would boost meat trade for the country.
Australia’s agriculture minister David Littleproud said the deal would increase livestock, beef and sheep meat exports, as well as strengthen trade ties between the two countries.
“Our farmers will export more produce because of this deal. We’re giving our farmers more options and creating competition for Australian produce,” said Littleproud.
“Beef and sheep farmers are big winners – tariffs will disappear and more cattle will be exported. All tariffs on beef and sheep meat will be eliminated over five years, with most eliminated immediately. At the moment, they sit at 5%. The first 575,000 head of live male cattle are now duty-free, growing to 700,000 over six years.”
Meanwhile, AMIC CEO Patrick Hutchinson said the agreement would also create new opportunities with a key trading partner.
“This is an agreement that the industry has been anticipating for some time. While the deal was delayed last year, we congratulate all involved for working hard to find a way forward,” said Hutchinson.
“Our industry employs about 100,000 people and trade agreements like this will help it grow and thrive. But there’s more to be done to secure the future of our industry.”
According to AMIC, trade between Australia and Indonesia was valued at AU$11.2 billion in 2017-2018 and it exported about 50,000 tonnes of meat to Indonesia.