A Republican cattle-rancher congressman has introduced a bill recommending a 70 per cent tariff on Australian Wagyu beef — part of an intensifying American push to pressure Australia over meat trade.
The US beef industry is hoping to capitalise on Donald Trump's trade war to squeeze a better deal out of Australia, as the US president finalises a new round of tariffs set to take effect next week.
Marlin Stutzman, an Indiana congressman and Wagyu farmer, is helping to lead the charge with the newly introduced "Protect American Beef" bill.
It singles out Australia as a particularly unfair trade partner because of biosecurity barriers that block US imports, as well as an unfavourable currency exchange rate.
"Australia is producing a lot of Wagyu and shipping it here, and it's an un-level playing field with the currency difference and the fact that we can't have a reciprocal relationship," Mr Stutzman told the ABC.
The bill is unlikely to pass into law — fewer than 6 per cent of bills do — and, in any case, Mr Trump has been bypassing Congress and implementing trade policy via executive orders from the White House.
But the move is reflective of wider industry efforts to get Australian meat on Mr Trump's list of future tariffs, and to pursue all avenues to relax Australian restrictions on importing US beef.
Some in the industry also want Mr Trump to consider new quotas on Australian beef imports.
American producers have been unable to export uncooked beef to Australia since 2003, because of fears over mad cow disease. The Americans argue the risks are now negligible, and Australia is using biosecurity as an excuse.
"We understood it [the ban] at the time," Mr Stutzman said.
"But 20 years later, it's like, you're still not letting us ship our beef back there.
"And so it just seems like the Australian government took advantage of the situation and never opened up the channels for beef to go back to Australia."
America's National Cattlemen's Beef Association is also pushing for the US to get tough on Australia, accusing it of using a "myriad of sanitary concerns and endless bureaucratic red tape to delay the approval of US beef".
"This is not how allies and trade partners should behave," the lobby group wrote in a submission to a congressional subcommittee on trade this week. "If the Australians will not accept our beef products, then it is only fair that we reciprocate."
In 2024, Australia exported almost 400,000 tonnes of beef to the US, according to Meat and Livestock Australia, making it Australia's biggest beef export market.
American industry groups say Australia is now also selling more Wagyu beef in the US than American producers.
Cattle Australia has described Australia's biosecurity requirements as non-negotiable and "completely unrelated" to debates over US tariffs or market access.
Mr Trump has already introduced tariffs on all imported aluminium and steel – angering the Australian government – as well as foreign cars, and a range of products from China, Canada and Mexico.
His next round of tariffs, scheduled to come in on April 2, are set to target countries that Mr Trump feels have unfair trade imbalances with the US, but he has not announced specifics.
American business interest groups have been lobbying for tariffs or other measures to punish and pressure Australia on matters ranging from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to proposed tech regulations.
Trade Minister Don Farrell recently warned that US tariffs on Australian beef would penalise Americans by pushing up the prices of popular products like Big Macs. The bulk of Australian beef exported to the US is used in hamburgers.
Ambassador Kevin Rudd has been leading efforts in Washington to persuade the White House not to further tariff Australian imports, arguing Australia's years of trade deficits with the US mean they're unjustified.
But the US's "new Trumpian worldview" meant it was being "hardline and transactional in its approach", Mr Rudd told 7.30 earlier this month.
Australia's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said it would "continue to work with United States counterparts to progress our respective market access priorities".
"Australia has a strong track record of managing trade concerns in line with our interests and consistent with our commitments in our free trade agreement with the United States," a spokesperson said.
