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the australian farmer
Australia has a strong recent history of success- fully going into bat for our agricultural exporters. In 2024, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry recorded a total of 83 technical market access achievements, which included opening 11 new markets, improving access to 37 markets, defending access to 28 markets and restoring access to seven markets where it was previously blocked (DAFF 2024). With the imperative for trade reform now stronger than ever, we can build on this momentum to pro- actively advocate for fairer trading rules that govern the flow of agricultural products critically important to the sector’s competitiveness. For more information read the ABARES paper Non-tariff barriers: A multi-billion dollar burden. • In 2023–24 Australia agricultural, fisheries and forestry exports were valued at $75 billion. • In the three years to 2023–24 Australia exported around 70% of the total volume of agricultural, fisheries and forestry production. • Grains, oilseeds and pulses have been the fastest-growing export segment, growing at an average annual rate of 9% in real value terms between 2004–05 and 2023–24 (chart also included in attached Excel if required) Dr Jared Greenville is Executive Director of the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES), leading a com- • China is the largest single export market for Australian agriculture, followed by the United States and Japan.
Better market access is therefore integral to Aus- tralian agriculture, the 244,600 direct jobs it pro- vides, and the broader economy. But efforts to address the challenges to trade posed by NTMs must be specific and targeted. Negotiations to reduce or eliminate a non-tariff measures involve consideration of more factors than just the market impacts on trade and production. Other factors like probability of success, resour- ces required, and broader industry and govern- mental priorities should all come into play when developing negotiation plans. A key step is to ensure we are not negotiating in the dark. Using analysis like the recent ABARES work helps provide an information base on which questions can be asked and more tangible steps can then be taken. With tariffs already at zero across many of Australia’s key trading partners, reducing costs associated with NTMs offer a real opportunity for further economic cooperation. Conclusion Recent changes in the international trading land- scape have generated clouds of uncertainty, but they may also have a silver lining. Many of Australia’s trading partners are looking at ways to diversify their trade, opening the door for further conversation around improving bilateral and regional relationships. For Australian agriculture there is an opportun- ity to double down on efforts to reduce the costs of NTMs and get traction on removing those that create genuine barriers to trade. Leveraging our extensive network of bilateral and plurilateral free trade agreements and work- ing to increase the number of export destinations spreads the risk, helping to safeguard our global competitiveness in the face of future shocks. Did You Know? Early Australian agricultural exports focused on wool and grains, primarily destined for Euro- pean markets, which led to Australia becoming the world's largest wool producer by 1870.
prehensive program of economic analy- sis and scientific research across Australian agricul- ture, fisheries and forestry. He also represents Australia at OECD forums on sustainable agricul- tural production, global food security and climate policy.
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