Australia-UAE deal to cut Australian beef tariffs unlikely to have much impact on Brazilian exports, experts say

An agreement between Australia and the United Arab Emirates on reducing export taxes to the United Arab Emirates is expected to come into effect at the end of this year. According to information from the international news agency Reuters, the agreement “would remove tariffs on around 99% of Australian products and result in savings of 135 million Australian dollars (91 million US dollars) in the first year”. Among the main products sent by Australia to the Middle Eastern destination are meat, dairy products, oilseeds, seafood, steel, nuts, honey, coal, chickpeas and lentils. Although Australia is a major player when it comes to beef, experts in the sector point out that, even with the reduction in taxes on protein exported to the United Arab Emirates, little should change Brazil’s competitiveness for shipments to the same destination. According to experts, the difference between the size of the Brazilian herd compared to the Australian herd is at the heart of the issue. According ...