Ban on Australian beef exports lifted

The Turnbull Coalition Government is pleased China has lifted thesuspension of red meat imports from six Australian meat-processing facilities.

The facilities, which account for around 30 percent of Australia's beefexports to China, can now resume exporting.

This positive outcome reflects the high level of cooperation betweenAustralian and Chinese authorities, and our red meat industry.

I also acknowledge the hard work of Barnaby Joyce and the AssistantMinister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Craig Laundy, in representingthe importance of this industry to Australia's economy and the quality of theproduct made available for Chinese consumers.

Australia has an excellent relationship with China, our largest tradingpartner. The goodwill generated by the success of the China-Australia FreeTrade Agreement (ChAFTA) assisted in resolving this matter quickly.

We respect the Chinese Government's strong commitment to food safety fortheir consumers and understand the importance of meeting their importrequirements.

The Turnbull Coalition Government works hard to preserve our clean,green and safe food credentials and this remains key to maintaining ouragricultural trade with countries such as China.

We will continue to work together to build on the successes of theChAFTA to our mutual benefit.

Australia's beef exports to China were worth $670 million in 2016.