Australia to Push for Zero US Tariffs After Beef Tariffs Lifted

Canberra will continue pushing for zero tariffs on exports to the United States after President Donald Trump lifted imposts on beef and other agricultural goods in a win for Australian farmers.

The Albanese government has taken credit for the move as it welcomed the reversal as good news for Australian beef producers and exporters.

“We believe very firmly and will continue to advocate for us to have zero tariffs,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in Melbourne on Sunday.

“Australia does not have tariffs on U.S. goods or services.”

The U.S. president on Friday removed tariffs on more than 200 food products, including beef, amid consumer concerns about rising U.S. grocery prices.

The U.S. decision was a direct result of the strong advocacy of Trade Minister Don Farrell, other ministers and his own recent meetings with President Trump, Albanese said.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the government maintained a clear and consistent position against tariffs.

“We believe in being able to access each other’s markets. We think that’s in the best interests of consumers as well as of producers,” she told the ABC.

When asked if she expected U.S. tariffs to be lifted on exports of aluminium and steel to the United States, Wong said Australia would keep advocating its net zero position.

Shadow Home Affairs Minister Jonno Duniam welcomed the U.S. move, saying it was to be expected American consumers would push back in a range of areas where increased cost of living had bitten them.

“We don’t welcome a government that tries to take credit for something like this happening,” he told Sky News Australia.

“I know representations had been made but this is based purely on American domestic politics and consumer pushback that shows that tariffs aren’t always good.”

Australian products already had the lowest tariff rate of any U.S. trading partner but removing the baseline 10 percent levy on beef will be a significant benefit to farmers.

Meat is Australia’s second largest export to the United States behind non-monetary gold, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

In 2024, Australia sent 394,000 tonnes of beef worth $4.16 billion to the states, Meat and Livestock Australia figures show.

The Albanese government in July wound back biosecurity restrictions on U.S. beef imports.

The United States had complained about non-tariff trade barriers, including longstanding restrictions on beef following a prior outbreak of mad cow disease.