A new trade agreement between the European Union and Australia is moving closer to completion following discussions between EU Commissioners and Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell on February 12, 2026. The negotiations, which resumed after a formal suspension in October 2023, are now in a decisive phase, signaling a potential boost for global trade relations.
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The most challenging aspect of the negotiations centers on agriculture, particularly the export of Australian beef. Poland, however, is seeking stronger security clauses within the agreement to protect its farmers from excessive imports of sensitive goods – mirroring those found in the agreement with Mercosur.
According to reporting from RMF FM, these requests have not yet been incorporated into the current draft. Australia is a significant global exporter of products considered sensitive by Poland, including beef, sugar, and grain.
Potential benefits for European, including Polish, exporters could include the reduction of non-tariff barriers (veterinary and phytosanitary) to access this market, stated Iwona Pacholska, spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture, to RMF FM.
A key demand from the Polish Ministry of Agriculture is “recognition by the Australian side of the principle of regionalization in relation to African swine fever (ASF) in accordance with the standards of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) in the import of pork from Poland.”
Currently, Australia blocks imports of fresh and frozen pork from all of Poland, regardless of whether the meat originates from regions free of ASF. This means that even pork from a province where ASF has never been recorded is considered as risky as product from the center of the outbreak by Australian authorities.
Poland is requesting that Australia accept health certificates agreed upon at the EU level. This would allow Polish companies to avoid the need to negotiate veterinary conditions for each shipment individually. Specifically, the request covers “agreement on veterinary health certificates for cooked and cured pork products, pet food, and eggs and egg products,” the spokesperson explained.
