Australia's grain industry has always depended on trade. With around 70 per cent of Australian grain exported in most years, growers rely on open markets, efficient supply chains and a rules-based trading system to remain competitive.
That is why GrainGrowers welcomes the recent release of the Australian Government's Trade 2040 Taskforce Report - Towards 2040: Navigating Australia’s Trading Future. The strategy provides a strong vision for strengthening Australia's economic resilience, diversifying trade and building long-term prosperity. But a strategy alone will not deliver those outcomes. Its success will depend on whether Australia invests in the technical capability needed to turn ambition into market access.
That challenge has never been more important.
Increasing geopolitical tensions are reshaping global commerce. Trade is increasingly being used as a strategic tool, while exporters are navigating greater uncertainty, rising costs and more complex market requirements. Australian grain growers have experienced these shifts firsthand, from China's barley tariffs to global shipping disruptions, which have shown how quickly international events can affect access to overseas markets.
Australia has already made remarkable progress in opening global markets. Today, Australia has free trade agreements with 31 economies covering almost 79 per cent of Australia's total trade. Once the free trade agreement with the European Union enters into force, that figure is expected to rise to around 88 per cent.
That success also marks a turning point. The next generation of trade gains will not come simply from signing more free trade agreements. They will come from extracting greater value from the agreements Australia already has, modernising existing arrangements and reducing the technical barriers that increasingly shape international trade.
For the Australian grain industry, the greater challenge is often now less about tariffs and more about meeting diverse technical requirements such as Biosecurity protocols, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, certification systems and changing regulatory requirements.
A recent report by Grains Australia found that non-tariff measures affecting Australian grain exports are equivalent to a 20.4 per cent tariff (approximately four times higher than the average tariff applied by Australia's top ten grain-importing destinations). Collectively, these barriers are estimated to cost Australian grain exporters around $4.6 billion in forgone export revenue each year.
These barriers cannot be removed through trade agreements alone. They require sustained technical engagement with overseas regulators, strong scientific and regulatory expertise, and trusted relationships that allow issues to be resolved before they disrupt trade.
To deliver on the aims of the Trade 2040 report, Australia must continue investing in technical trade specialists and the agricultural counsellor network to protect existing markets, resolve emerging barriers and create new export opportunities for Australian agriculture.