Mark Butler has said that any review into United States beef exports will be made with Australia's national interests in mind, with a focus on biosecurity.
The Health Minister made the comments after confirming there would be a review into the current export rules but was firm on not compromising that nation's biosecurity laws.
Currently, the Trump administration is imposing a 10% tariff on Australian beef and seeking greater import access for American beef, including meat from cattle raised in Canada or Mexico but processed in the States.
Australia's strict biosecurity laws do not currently allow this, but the government is reviewing the situation to see if an exemption would be viable ahead of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President Donald Trump meeting later this month, but Butler said it would be a "decision in the national interest”.
“This will be a decision taken on its merits, not for convenience, not to get a deal," he said, speaking to Sunrise.
“Our biosecurity officials have been reviewing that question to see whether that situation complies with our very strict biosecurity laws.”
Meanwhile, a government source has told the ABC that the discussions around beef will be used as a negotiation point for tariff removals, when Albanese and Trump both attend the G7 summit next week.
While the source confirmed that American pork would still not be on the table, due to high biosecurity risks, beef could be used in trade bargaining between the two nations, after Trump's slew of international tariffs in April saw a range of Australian products take a hit.
