So we think we are being quite reasonable in terms of our ask here. I obviously can’t go into exact detail about what we’re asking for, but we have certainly modelled our approach on what other countries have been able to negotiate with the EU. And I think that what we’re asking for is perfectly reasonable, especially when you compare it to what other countries have been able to negotiate with the EU. Are we ultimately asking for something that EU member states will just not agree to? Often it ends up as a sort of localised debate in some far-flung part of Belgium as to whether the whole trade agreement gets up. HAMISH MACDONALD: But, Minister, notoriously, though, even when there is agreement between the two parties at the top level, it’s notoriously difficult to get the member states to agree to some of this stuff. MURRAY WATT: So the geographic indicators certainly matters, and we’re fighting the good fight there. And, of course, recent events have shown that it’s important that we diversify our export markets, and the EU is an incredibly valuable one. We don’t – we’re not able to send very much of our product to that market. We obviously can supply some of those commodities to the EU at the moment, but it’s a very protected market. I can understand why most of the debate in Australia around the EU free trade agreement ends up coming down to these geographic indicators, but the very most important thing from Australia’s perspective is to expand the amount of beef, sheep, sugar, grains, wines, horticulture, all of those agricultural products that we want to be able to send to the EU and which are currently very restricted. And it’s actually something I’ve been really keen to have understood by the wider public. HAMISH MACDONALD: Can you just clarify, are we talking about more than just naming rights? Are we talking about access for our products to their markets? And we want to make sure that the importance from an economic and emotional perspective for our producers is recognised by the EU too. We, of course, have very high-quality prosecco, feta, parmesan and other products as well. Both Don and I have met with our counterparts on numerous times and have explained that this isn’t just an emotional issue for European producers it’s an emotional issue for Australian producers because, as you said, we’ve had a lot of migration post-World War II from Europe to Australia that has seen our producers – our wine producers, our dairy producers – bring their own products from their home countries and make them here. And, equally, we need the EU to understand our position when it comes to those geographic indicators. We’ve obviously been very clear about our position from the beginning of these negotiations – that we really need to see some commercially meaningful expansion of new markets for our producers for this deal to be worth doing. And, yeah, I think the negotiations that he’s just undertaken have reached a difficult stage. I’ve been working very closely with Don throughout this. He’s obviously just finished two days of trade talks in Brussels. But I actually spoke to Don Farrell, the Trade Minister last night. MURRAY WATT: Yeah, there is a lot at stake here, Hamish, because, of course, it’s important that we do keep opening new and expanded markets for our agricultural producers in Australia let alone the other goods that we want to export to the EU. Is it fair to say that these talks have hit a snag? HAMISH MACDONALD: There’s a lot at stake here. MURRAY WATT, MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FORESTRY: Morning, Hamish. Murray Watt is the Minister for Agriculture and Emergency Management. A trade deal with Europe would give Australian producers better access to a market with a GDP of $20 trillion, including reduced tariffs for agricultural products. It would leave a lot of Australian producers in the lurch, and it’s quickly stalling talks between the two sides. Feta, prosecco, prosciutto, have become a major sticking point in the free trade negotiations between Australia and the EU which wants goods like prosecco only to be imported from the original region in Italy, like you see with champagne. HAMISH MACDONALD, HOST: This is RN Breakfast. SUBJECTS: EU Free Trade Agreement and Australian agriculture exports Disaster Recovery Fund
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