EU Ambassador Lawrence Meredith presents his credentials to Governor-General of Australia Sam Mostyn last week. Image – Facebook.

THE European Union’s Ambassador to Australia Lawrence Meredith today pushed back on Coalition and farmer support for the EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement to be renegotiated.

In an interview with Radio National Breakfast presenter Sally Sara this morning, Ambassador Meredith was told that the extra 30,000 tonnes of beef and 25,000 tonnes of lamb was still less than the tonnages called for by industry.

When asked if there was any room for negotiation of changes, Ambassador Meredith said he had never seen a free trade agreement where there were parties that were happy on both sides.

“”that’s usually a good indication that the ultimate deal that was struck in March was comprehensive, ambitious and balanced.

Ambassador Meredith said he came from dairy farming stock and knew farmers “pretty well.”

“What I would say to the farming community is that this is potential for an eight time increase for Australian exports of beef and a five time increase of exports in lamb.

“That’s a very significant opportunity and having just lived through implementation of free trade agreements as the EU ambassador to New Zealand, there was also discomfort at the beginning, but farmers quickly came on board when it came into force and they saw the exports actually significantly increasing, which is the case with New Zealand exports to the European Union,” he said.

Ambassador Meredith indicated there was no room to move further on the Australian beef and lamb allocations in the free trade agreement.

“No, the deal is done in March and we’ve also got stakeholders who are little bit grumpy on our side, car manufacturers and so forth, but I think the deal is comprehensive, ambitious and balanced.”

When told the federal Coalition had said the EU FTA was “a way to lock in Labor’s climate agenda through the back door”, Ambassador Meredith did not directly answer whether he was concerned that Australia’s Federal Parliament might not ratify the agreement.

The ambassador said the FTA would bring $10 billion a year into the Australian economy.

“That’s a very significant opportunity and there are no new conditions here.

“These are sovereign commitments on climate that Australia and European Union has entered into separately that are also enshrined in the free trade agreement.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Trade Minister Don Farrell have also this month rejected the possibility of renegotiating the agreement, despite support for this to happen from the federal Coalition and the National Farmers Federation.

In March this year, chair of the Australia–EU Red Meat Market Access Taskforce, Andrew McDonald, said the sector has been profoundly let down by the outcome, described by the industry group as the “worst ever free trade agreement for Australian red meat industry to date.”

“The Australian red meat industry has been crystal clear that the FTA negotiations were the ideal mechanism to finally address the EU’s punitive and highly discriminatory import regime.

“Yet the agreement delivers just 30,600 tonnes carcase weight (cwt) of beef access over the next 10 years, when a minimum of 50,000 tonnes (cwt) was required simply to be in line with what the EU has offered our competitors,” he said.

“On sheep meat and goat meat, the result is equally disappointing: 25,000 tonnes (cwt) over seven years, despite Australian industry requesting a minimum of 67,000 tonnes cwt.

“This stands in stark contrast to New Zealand’s access of 163,769 tonnes, which is an outrageous discrepancy,” Mr McDonald said.

Sheep Central sought further comment from Mr McDonald and the Coalition on Ambassador Meredith’s stance.