Key Trump ally launches scathing attack on Australia after President smashed the nation with 10 per cent tariffs

A elder subordinate of Donald Trump's furniture has blasted Australia's biosecurity rules citing them arsenic a large origin for the 10 per cent tariffs.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Australia's quarantining strategy was efficaciously a obstruction to American beef exporters.

'Our farmers are blocked from selling astir anyplace - 1.4billion radical successful India and we can't merchantability them corn; Europe won't fto america merchantability beef; Australia won't fto america merchantability beef,' helium told CNN.

Australia, similar the US, has biosecurity rules to support retired disease.

But Mr Lutnick, a banking billionaire who advises Trump connected commercialized policy, argued these rules amounted to protectionism, and present the US is responding successful kind. 

'They privation to conscionable protect, they privation to say, "Oh, what, the seeds are different",' helium said.

'C'mon, this is nonsense; this is each nonsense. What happens is they artifact our markets - erstwhile we opened those markets, our volumes grow, our farmers volition thrive and the terms of groceries volition travel down.'

Beef, Australia's biggest export to the United States successful 2024, volition present incur a 10 per cent tariff contempt a reliance by galore American nutrient companies connected the merchandise to complement its ain nutrient which is abbreviated supply.

The US is battling a drought, which has diminished cattle herds and restricted beef accumulation to the fattier, grain-fed variety. 

Australia's leaner, grass-fed beef is needed to marque hamburger mince; a staple of the American diet, and made up 96 per cent of Australia's exports to the US past year.

Imposing a tariff connected Australian beef exports would beryllium much apt to propulsion up nutrient prices successful the US alternatively than bolster section accumulation if conditions bash not let it.

South American beef producing nations Argentina, Brazil and Chile, who are besides battling a drought, person been deed with a 10 per cent tariff, similar Australia. 

Australia has had a free-trade woody with the US since 2005 but the Trump Administration argued measures similar biosecurity, a Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and adjacent the Goods and Services Tax are the equivalent of 'tariffs charged to the US'.

The 10 per cent 'reciprocal tariffs' connected Australia was based connected addressing a perceived commercialized imbalance, contempt the US having yearly commercialized surpluses with Australia stretching backmost to 1952.

Australian exports to the US, similar beef and gold, had spiked successful aboriginal 2025, arsenic American importers rushed to get successful up of the Trump tariffs. 

Meat was Australia's biggest export to the US past year, with beef making up astir $5billion of the $6billion successful macromolecule sent there, on with lamb and goat.

President Trump cited the US buying $US3billion worthy of Australian beef successful twelvemonth arsenic Australian quarantining rules made it hard for American exporters.

'Australia bans  - and they're fantastic people, and fantastic everything - but they prohibition American beef,' helium said,  announcing 'Liberation Day' tariffs astatine the White House.

'Yet we imported 3billion dollars of Australian beef from them conscionable past twelvemonth alone.

'They won't instrumentality immoderate of our beef.

'They don't privation it due to the fact that they don't privation it to impact their farmers - and I don't blasted them - but we're doing the aforesaid happening close now.'

Australia had an wide commercialized surplus of $2.968billion successful February, which was the weakest since the pandemic successful 2020 based connected the quality betwixt the worth of exports and imports.

Australian exports to the US had concisely overtaken those sent to China successful aboriginal 2025, up of the US tariffs, but exports to some trading partners person present fallen sharply since January.

Westpac elder economist Mantas Vanagas said Australian export commercialized was apt to dilatory successful 2025, arsenic a effect of the American tariffs.

'Against the backdrop of precise important shifts successful planetary commercialized policy, risks to the commercialized equilibrium are skewed towards a further deterioration,' helium said.

The latest 10 per cent tariffs connected Australian exports to the US travel 25 per cent tariffs connected Australian alloy and aluminium that came into effect connected March 12. 

American probe steadfast Evercore estimates mean US tariffs are present astatine 29 per cent, which is higher than the 20 per cent level of 1930, pursuing the transition of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act during the Great Depression.