AgForce is calling on the Federal Government to provide greater clarity and stronger safeguards around binding climate commitments in the proposed Australia-European Union Free Trade Agreement. Queensland's peak agricultural advocacy body is warning that environmental requirements must not become another barrier to Australian agricultural exports.
The call follows renewed scrutiny of the agreement's climate provisions, alongside continued opposition from the National Farmers' Federation (NFF) over inadequate market access for key Australian agricultural commodities, especially sugarcane.
The European Commission has itself acknowledged that the agreement retains protections for sensitive European agricultural sectors, including quota restrictions on Australian beef, sheepmeat and sugar exports, alongside sustainability conditions attached to certain agricultural imports.
AgForce General President Shane McCarthy said the proposed agreement raised serious questions about whether Australian agriculture was getting a fair deal.
"Australian producers should not be expected to accept additional trade-related enforcement of international climate commitments under an agreement that still fails to deliver genuinely competitive market access for key agricultural commodities.
"Free trade is supposed to remove barriers, not replace tariffs with climate and sustainability requirements that could become non-tariff barriers to Australian exports.
"The European Union has retained protections for its own agricultural industries through quotas and market restrictions, while seeking to embed its climate priorities into the agreement. We need to ensure Australian agriculture is not disadvantaged by this imbalance."
The agreement includes legally binding climate commitments, alongside provisions for cooperation on sustainable agriculture and food systems.
While the Federal Government has stated that the agreement's sustainable agriculture cooperation provisions will not impose new regulatory requirements on Australian farmers, AgForce is seeking greater certainty about the implications of its broader binding climate commitments.
Mr McCarthy said the concern was not about opposing environmental responsibility, but ensuring that international trade arrangements recognised Australia's agricultural production systems and did not create additional costs or barriers for producers.
"Queensland producers already manage significant environmental responsibilities while producing the food and fibre our economy depends on.
"Their environmental stewardship and the realities of Australian production systems must be recognised, not subjected to additional requirements designed around European conditions.
"We need clear assurances that the agreement will not lead to additional certification, reporting or compliance requirements that undermine the competitiveness of Australian agriculture."
AgForce is raising these concerns through national industry advocacy, supporting the NFF's call for an agreement that delivers competitive market access for Australian agriculture.
Mr McCarthy said the Federal Government must also ensure assessments of the agreement's economic benefits reflect the final negotiated outcomes and provide an accurate picture of the benefits for Australian agriculture.
"Queensland producers deserve to know exactly what Australia is signing up to and what commercial benefits they will receive in return.
"The Federal Government needs to demonstrate that these provisions will not become another mechanism for restricting Australian agricultural trade and explain why our producers should accept anything less than a fair deal and meaningful access to European markets.
"AgForce will continue representing Queensland producers in these national discussions and pushing for a trade agreement that delivers genuine opportunities without imposing unnecessary barriers on Australian agriculture."
