Trade Minister Don Farrell forecasts end to China import barriers

Trade Minister Don Farrell is predicting the end of Chinese trade barriers to Australia imports within weeks.

Crippling Chinese bans on Australian produce are likely to all be lifted within weeks, predicts Trade Minister Don Farrell, finally ending multibillon-dollar export hits.

In an interview with The Advertiser, Senator Farrell said Tuesday night talks with his Chinese counterpart had bolstered optimism about removing remaining bans on lobster and some red meat.

Senator Farrell said he was “hopeful” this restoration with Australia’s biggest trading partner would coincide with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao’s June visit to Australia – almost $20bn of impediments have already been removed.

China black-listed Australian lobster imports in November, 2020, in a furious reaction to Australia’s call for an inquiry into Covid-19’s origins.

Up to 95 per cent of South Australia’s rock lobster exports were sent to China before the ban, which cruelled an industry that contributes more than 30 per cent of the state’s seafood gross product worth $158.5m.

Four Australian red meat abattoirs remain banned by China over mislabelling issues – none are in SA.

Trade Minister Don Farrell with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao.

Senator Farrell said he expected produce would quickly return to the Chinese market once imposts were lifted, citing the $9.44m in wine exports from 50 companies – most from SA – that flowed in the first fortnight of April after tariffs were lifted in March.

“I’m hopeful, and I hope I’m not too optimistic about this, but in the next few weeks, that all of the trade impediments between ourselves and China will be removed and we will be back in respect of all of those products into the Chinese market,” he said.

“I believe the Chinese authorities have been doing work on both of these products (lobster and red meat) and I think we should expect a favourable decision in the very near future.”

Robe rock lobster fisher Paul Regnier. Picture: Kelly Barnes/The Australian

Australia’s exports to China last year hit $316bn, which Senator Farrell told Mr Wang he hoped would hit $400bn.

“I think the demand for Australian (produce), particularly food and wine, is such that we should expect that our exports into China should grow. As the living standards rise in China, then I think we should expect that we can sell more and more of our wonderful food and wine products into China,” he said.

“ … The trade minister said to me that when he comes to Australia, he’ll certainly be sharing one of those big bold South Australian red wines with me.”

China was SA’s largest wine export market, valued at almost $1bn, before tariffs were imposed in 2020, and their highly anticipated removal from late March has been hailed as a momentous milestone for the industry.