China lifts final Aussie processor suspensions

China has lifted suspensions from the last two Australian meat processors restricted from exporting to the country.

John Dee at Warwick, and Australian Country Choice in Brisbane were the final two processors to still be suspended from exporting to China, after a trade stoush dating back to 2020.

The Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC) on Tuesday welcomed the reinstatement of export approvals for the processor, and confirmed there was now a full reinstatement of trade for all Australian meat processors which had been suspended from China.

AMIC Interim Chief Executive Officer Tim Ryan said the outcome was the result of four years of cooperative and sustained effort by government and industry.

“After four years of hard work on behalf of red meat exporters, this is a fantastic and very welcome result," Mr Ryan said.

“This is a great outcome not only for these companies but the clients they process for as well as the thousands of farmers and feedlots they support through the cattle they purchase.

"This result demonstrates the strength of the Australian meat industry’s quality assurance and regulatory systems to help further expand access for Australian meat processors who wish to trade with China over a wide variety of approved products.”

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Cattle Australia (CA) also welcomed China’s reinstatement of export approvals.

“The re-establishment of export approval for these two plants is the result of extensive negotiations by industry advocacy groups and the Federal Government, and we applaud the efforts of Australian Government Ministers and the Department of Agriculture to achieve this most recent outcome,” CA Chief Executive Officer, Dr Chris Parker, said.

“As a net exporter of products, our industry relies on ensuring productive technical discussions can take place, in an effort to strengthen ties with current trading partners and foster relationships with new customers.

“We look forward to ongoing conversations with China and other nations, as we continue to share Australia’s world-leading beef with consumers across the globe.”

The move comes after China reinstated export approvals for five Australian beef export processors in May and another three processors had their suspensions lifted six months prior to that.

The suspensions were put in place in 2020 and 2021, when international relations between the two countries soured during the pandemic. Other exported agricultural produce - including barley and lobster - were almost impacted.