The Hon. Matt Canavan, Leader of The Nationals, Media Release, 18 June 2026

Labor must do more to stop China’s 55 per cent imminent tariffs on Australian imports, in what has been described as a major blow to the Australian beef industry.

Leader of The Nationals Matt Canavan said from [22 June 2026] , China will start its 55 per cent tariff, after Australia exhausted its 205,000-tonne annual duty-free beef quota.

“The Coalition is extremely concerned that this tariff will hurt trade into one of our most important and biggest markets, during a time when our farmers are already doing it tough,” Senator Canavan said.

“The Labor Government previously claimed it had ‘saved’ China-Australia trade relations, but today, this has proven to be just another Labor lie.

“These developments could not be coming at a worse time and it’s clear our Labor Government isn’t doing enough.”

The latest blow comes after the Australia-European Union Free Trade Agreement sold out Australian farmers and Australian interests, with taxpayers set to fork out $38.6 million over four years from 2026–27, then $7.1 million per year to implement the Agreement.

“The EUFTA falls well short of what Australian farmers wanted and to make matters worse, taxpayers will now be forced to pay millions of dollars for it.

“Australia’s quota of 205,000 tonnes of beef shipments this year into China is about one third lower than its total imports into China from 2025.

“Agriculture Minister Julie Collins dismissing the issue as ‘working with the beef industry’ isn’t good enough.

“Labor suggesting that the US is the biggest market is completely missing the point – our beef into China is crucial, and Labor must urgently address this issue.”