Australia lifts trade barriers on beef imported from the U.S.

Australia announced Thursday that it will lift trade barriers on beef imported from the United States, a focus of tension betweenCanberraand theTrump administration.

The country has for years maintained strong restrictionsthat prevented the import of beef from the US. Specifically, Canberra only accepted cattle born outsideCanadaandMexico, which left out much of the U.S. cattle, as most suppliers found it difficult to prove that their herd had not circulated through those countries.

Faced with the threat of a 10% tariff on meat exported to the United States, one of its main markets, Australia lifted these barriers.

According to Agriculture Minister Julie Collins, the US adoptednew quality controls that alleviate Australian concerns.

A "rigorous assessment based on science and risk" led to the conclusion that U.S. measures to monitor the movement of livestock ensure appropriate management of biosecurity risks, the minister said.

The Australian government "will never compromise on biosecurity," Collins assured, adding, "Australia advocates open and fair trade; our livestock industry has benefited significantly from this."

"The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is satisfiedwith the measures to strengthen the controls implemented by the United States to manage biosecurity risks," Collins concluded in a statement picked up by AFP.