David Littleproud, Nationals Leader:

My question as to the Minister for Agriculture and Water. Can the Minister confirm whether Australia’s bio security requirements from today’s announcement to import US beef will be at least the equivalent of bio security requirements Australian beef must be to be imported into the US?

Julie Collins, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry:

This decision has been made by my department and is through the usual processes that these decisions are made. As he would be well aware and has been an ongoing process now for over a decade in terms of US beef coming into Australia and US beef has been able to come into Australia since 2019 and in 2020 we asked for expanded access to allow some of the other beef from the supply chain sorted in the US to come from Canada and Mexico.

I would say to the member opposite that it has been done in the usual way, the department has published the review on website today in the usual way, the input details required for importers will be published on the website and provided on Monday in the usual way. 

As the member opposite would know the protocols in relation to the areas he is asking has actually already been provided to his office today on his email. So the member opposite needs to be very careful about trying to undermine Australia’s bio security system. Our biosecurity system is the strongest in the world for a good reason … you should not be undermining our scientific approach.