Public consultation on Canada as an applicant country for the import of fresh beef is closed.

How you had your say

We sought feedback from people about Canada as an applicant country for beef imports.

We invited feedback from people and industry groups across the cattle sector.

Who engaged

We received 11 submissions during the consultation process.

What happens next

We will review and consider your feedback to develop the final report. Updates can be found on the addition of Canada as an applicant country page of the department’s website.

The final report on whether Canada is to be accepted as an applicant country for the importation of beef and beef products into Australia will be released Mid 2024.

Timeline

  • Draft report released for feedback
    closed

    11 December 2023

  • Feedback period for draft report closes
    current

    28 February 2024

  • Final report released
    pending

    Mid 2024

Contact
Biosecurity Animal Division
animalbiosecurity@aff.gov.au

FAQs

Australia is a major producer of beef. Why do we need to import it?

The final 2017 Beef review found that fresh beef can be safely imported into Australia from countries with an appropriate animal health status and sound official controls over the production of beef and beef products. 

Occasionally, Australia has been subject to severe weather conditions and droughts that devastate our agricultural industries. This includes our cattle industry.  The price of beef reflects this relationship between domestic supply and demand and impacts us all. Importing fresh beef from appropriate countries can reduce the cost of beef at these times ensuring Australians can continue to purchase beef at reasonable prices.

If adopted, will this addendum significantly change Australia’s beef import requirements?

No. Australia’s entry requirements for fresh beef were defined in the 2017 Beef review. Those requirements allow for approved countries to supply beef to Australia under conditions that are appropriate to their specific animal health status. If Canada is accepted as an approved country for this purpose it will only be permitted to supply beef, meeting appropriate conditions drawn from the Beef review.

What other countries can export beef to Australia?

Australia is obliged to treat all applications for trade equally. All approved countries must be assessed as capable of meeting Australia’s import conditions before fresh beef imports can start. Currently, importing fresh beef from Japan is permitted. The United States is in the process of undergoing a complex biosecurity assessment for this purpose, and Canada has applied to undertake a FSANZ assessment of its bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) status and a biosecurity assessment by the department. 

The biosecurity and BSE assessments of Canada will need to be successfully completed for trade to be possible, as has happened for Japan.

What are the steps to be taken before Canadian beef is allowed to enter Australia?

If the final addendum supports adding Canada to the existing list of countries approved to export fresh beef and beef products to Australia, Canada will then need to succesfully complete a detailed biosecurity assessment by the department, focused on its animal health status and system of official controls. It will also need to achieve an appropriate BSE risk status on the basis of a detailed assessment by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) of its controls over BSE. The FSANZ assessment process and the list of countries that have been granted appropriate BSE status by FSANZ are listed here:  Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) (foodstandards.gov.au)

Following successful completion of those processes, acceptable animal health certification that meets Australia’s specific requirements (published on Australia’s biosecurity import conditions database, BICON) will need to be produced by Canada and import permits granted by the department for trade to commence.