Comments attributable to NFF President Hamish McIntyre
With news the Coalition will vote against the Australia–European Union Free Trade Agreement as it stands, the National Farmers’ Federation is urging every party in the Parliament to put Australian farmers first and vote against the deal.
The NFF continues to oppose the agreement concluded in March, on the basis that it offers no material improvement for key agricultural commodities on the proposal the Australian Government rightly rejected in October 2023.
The NFF has always supported free and fair trade, and more agricultural trade with Europe remains in Australia’s national interest. But this agreement must deliver commercially meaningful and competitive access for Australian agriculture.
The current one-sided deal would lock in decades of disadvantage, at a time when commodities like beef, dairy and sugar are already under immense pressure. Australian farmers cannot be expected to accept subpar market access while European producers continue to benefit from billion-dollar subsidies. That would be a double blow to our competitiveness.
This is about an agreement that serves Australia’s long-term interests and gives our farmers a fair opportunity in one of the world’s largest markets.
We are calling on all parties to stand with Australian farmers and insist on a trade outcome that is genuinely free, fair and commercially meaningful.