Rice industry left behind yet again under Australia-EU Free Trade Agreement
The Australian Ricegrowers’ Association are extremely disappointed by the Australian Government’s decision to approve the Australia–European Union Free Trade Agreement, which delivers no commercially meaningful market access for the rice industry.
The agreement announced today offers little material improvement compared to the deal rejected in 2023.
For decades, the rice industry has supported free and fair trade and has sought genuine, equitable access to international markets, including the European Union. This agreement fails that basic test.
The EU FTA represented an opportunity to provide Australian rice growers with greater certainty and diversification at a time when the industry is already facing compounding pressures, from ongoing water reform, escalating regulatory burden, and a looming fuel and fertiliser crisis.
“How many more disappointments does the Government expect the rice industry to absorb” Ricegrowers’ Association President, Peter Herrmann said.
Australian rice is produced to world-leading environmental, sustainability and quality standards, yet this agreement maintains long-standing barriers that prevent Australian growers from competing on fair terms in the EU market.
Market access is the lifeblood of the Australian rice industry, which does not rely on government subsidies and operates in one of the most highly regulated agricultural environments in the country. The absence of meaningful access under this deal
undermines confidence, investment and long-term viability across Australian rice-growing regions.
SunRice Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Paul Serra, said: “We are incredibly disappointed by today’s EU FTA announcement, which has delivered a very poor outcome for Australian rice growers, who are already facing mounting pressures from water buybacks and continued dry conditions in Southern NSW. The Government’s failure to deliver meaningful EU market access for Australian rice is a significant shortfall in the FTA”.
The industry acknowledges the efforts of Australian trade negotiators in dealing with a difficult counterparty, but after years of negotiations, it is reasonable for growers to expect outcomes that match the Government’s stated commitment to agriculture and regional Australia.
If the Government is serious about rebuilding trust with the rice industry, it must now demonstrate how it will support growers facing increasing costs and tightening margins, beginning with a pause on policies that further increase export costs and regulatory pressure during an already volatile global trade environment.
The rice industry stands ready to engage constructively, but future trade and policy decisions must deliver real, measurable outcomes, not further disappointment.
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