Where's the beef? While China trade breakthroughs are a positive, "significant" barriers remain for locked-out red meat processors

The comments follow Chinese authorities last week lifting sanctions that had reduced trade in Australian bottled wine from $1.1 billion in 2019 to little more than $10 million.

Australian Meat Industry Council chief executive Patrick Hutchinson said while Canberra had taken a "principled approach" to calling out and addressing barriers to legitimate Australian trade across several commodities, it was widely recognised that a "significant amount of work" remained to remove the remaining barriers to trade for red meat to China.

Eight red meat processing plants have been suspended from trading with China since 2020 on technical issues ranging from labelling to alleged residue detection.

Meanwhile, suspensions slapped on three facilities after self-reporting COVID among their workforce in 2020 and 2022 were lifted in November last year following high-level discussions between the nations.

However, the eight other establishments remain locked out of the Chinese market despite the plants apparently supplying relevant information demanded by Chinese officials.

"The fact is that for red meat only a very small proportion of these barriers has been rectified," he said.

"The breadth of technical work that has taken place by the affected establishments and the Federal Department of Agriculture on these issues has demonstrated there is no legitimate technical reason for the bans to remain in place.

"Regardless of current export volumes, AMIC urges the government to remain committed to removing this barrier."

Mr Hutchinson also said that there have been few inroads for new players into China since "well before" the COVID pandemic.

"While we have seen incremental improvements in the process for Australian meat establishments to apply for access to trade with China, we are still yet to see any new access granted," he said.

Mainland China remains the number one destination for Australian red meat exports by volume, importing 206,193 tonnes of beef and 165,245 tonnes of lamb and mutton.

Long-term import demand drivers are also strong, with China's affluent consumer base forecast to continue expansion, along with growing appreciation for high quality red meat products.

China slapped sanctions worth $20bn on Australian products during the height of diplomatic tensions in 2020 triggered by Beijing's offence at the then-Coalition government calling for an independent inquiry into the origins of the COVID pandemic.

In a statement following the removal of the tariffs on wine, the government said it would "continue to press for all remaining trade impediments affecting Australian exports to be removed, which is in the interests of both Australia and China."

Agriculture minister Murray Watt was contacted for comment.

Nationals leader David Littleproud told media last week that while the wine breakthrough was "a positive step" it was important that both China "continues on the pathway" and Canberra "continue to fight" for the eight meat establishments, along with working to have restrictions placed on live rock lobster exports removed.