An 80% tariff on barley means switching to other crops or finding alternative markets. But at least there’s been rain
The timing was exquisite. Just as many Australian farmers had mostly finished sowing, Beijing’s 80% tariff imposed on our second biggest crop – barley – hit like a tonne of bricks.
All the industry players acknowledge this was a long running dispute that began two years ago. Beijing doesn’t like our anti-dumping measures and is unhappy that Australia has failed to treat its biggest trading partner as a market economy, as agreed in the China Australia Free Trade Agreement.
Source: ‘We poked the bear’: Australian farmers take the China trade stoush in their stride
