BOTH major parties are now calling on the European Union to delay its deforestation-related trade barriers, which are set to officially come into play later this year.

Led by Nationals senator Matt Canavan and Labor senator Raff Ciccone, the senate last night passed a motion calling on the EU to delay the import rules due to uncertainty in the way they will be implemented and the impact they will have on the beef industry.

Europe is set to bring in its rules banning the import of goods linked to deforestation on December 30 this year – with beef on a list of seven commodities deemed to be “high risk”.

The deforestation requirement is already a part of the Australian beef supply chain, with cattle going into EU feedlot programs needing to demonstrate deforestation credentials as they will be delivered next year. Processors are also gearing up for it as they will need to account for the boat journey.

Senator Canavan said on Twitter/X that Australia must not give up its sovereignty to Europe.

“The EU has taken upon itself to decide what parts of Australia are “forest” and which are not,” he said.

“Problem is 44pc of the EU’s definition of forest is actually grazing land.”

Under the EU and United Nations definition of deforestation, agricultural land is exempt. Cattle Australia is currently writing a “land management commitment” which is aiming to differentiate between a forest and agricultural land. CA says the release of that document is imminent.

CA and AgForce were both in Canberra this week raising concerns about the regulation talking to the senators and trade minister Don Farrell. Mr Farrell is leading Australia’s negotiation with the EU on a trade deal, which broke down last year.

The Senate just passed this motion with bipartisan support calling on the EU to delay its poorly constructed “deforestation” regulations.

The EU has taken upon itself to decide what parts of Australia are “forest” and which are not. Problem is 44% of the EU’s definition of… pic.twitter.com/45PLwcloZU

— Senator Matt Canavan (@mattjcan) September 11, 2024

Another issue is the way it is going to be regulated on the EU side, with elections recently held and many countries evidently not ready to police the imports.

There has been some push back within the EU, with industries importing other commodities, like soy, concerned about their input costs skyrocketing.

Labor continues call to push back legislation

The Labor Government has previously stated its opposition to the tight deadline for the legislation, with former agriculture minister Murray Watt telling a forum at Beef 2024 that he had written to the EU to delay it.

Senator Ciccone told the senate yesterday that it was important the country maintained a prosperous beef industry.

“For us who constantly go out to regional parts of Australia, we see first-hand the commitment of these Australians who do the work every single day,” Mr Ciccone said.

“Demand for Australian beef is at a record high and indicators are that in the future it will only to continue to grow. This is very good news for the thousands of jobs it supports across regional and rural parts of Australia.”

Australia’s reputation as a high-quality, safe and sustainable producer of beef is something that we should all celebrate.

In the Senate, I co-sponsored an urgency motion with Senator @mattjcan and spoke about our country’s exceptional meat and livestock industry.#auspol pic.twitter.com/O3TPTd3bpx

— Senator Raff Ciccone (@SenRaffCiccone) September 12, 2024

Mr Ciccone said while the Government wanted a sustainable agriculture industry and was committed to reversing the “net forest loss”, the EU rules were an administrative burden.

“Constant improvement in livestock practices will ensure that we keep our status as a leader in beef production,” he said.

“But I am concerned at what the implementation of the European Union deforestation regulation will mean for our beef producers. I’m concerned about the complexity of the measures and the regulatory burden it will create and I know beef producers share the same concern.”