August 18, 2005

Australia will revise quota system for beef exports to US

Australia would revise its quota system for beef exports to the US, removing company-specific quota allocations and adopting a first-come, first-served quota system along with a safeguard mechanism, the country's government said.

Currently, individual Australian companies, based on their recent export history, were allocated tariff-free access to the US beef market. With the change, all licensed Australian meat exporters would have quota access to the market on a first-come, first-served basis.

Australia was unlikely to reach its quota limit for beef exports to the US this year, according to reports.