Australia wants better access to beef and sugar as part of EU trade deal

Farrell also said that the EU had advocated low quotas for Australia, saying its agricultural productshave taken market share from EU manufacturers inUK following the conclusion of an Australia-UK trade deal in 2021. a>

Both sides have been negotiating since 2018.

Farrell will meet EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis at the G7 trade ministers' meeting in Japan on October 28-29. He warned that if a deal is not agreed soon, European elections next year could delay negotiations for years.

Australian farming groups have called on Farrell not to sign the deal until the EU improves its proposal.

“We need a better deal from them on lamb, beef and SUGAR,” Farrell told Politics with Michelle Grattan. “One of their arguments is that we were so successful in negotiating our trade agreement with the UK that most of their market with the UK was taken up by Australian beef, lamb and sugar,” he said.

He also said disagreements over food naming rights have not yet been resolved. The EU wants names such as feta and prosecco to be reserved for products made in Europe, something Australian producers oppose.

However, Farrell told REUTERS that the agreement could still be signed this weekend.

Australia wants to use a free trade agreement to boost its agricultural exports by eliminating tariffs and expanding quotas, while Europe is likely to gain greater access to critical mining industry in Australia

Neither side has disclosed its position in the negotiations, but Reuters reported this month that the EU had proposed such low import quotas sugar that their supply becomes commercially unviable.