The Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism, Hon Kevin Hogan MP, has called for prosecco, and dairy products such as feta, parmesan, and haloumi to be non-negotiables in Australia’s free trade deal with the European Union.
“This is Labor’s test and a fair and reasonable bar to set,” Mr Hogan said.
“The FTA with the EU will be finalised at a political level so it’s up to the Trade Minister and the Prime Minister not to blink when it comes to negotiations.
“The FTA with the EU is an important deal but in concluding it, Labor can’t trade away our products for its green trade agenda.
“I have met with producers and seen the emotional investment, the generational family investment that they have in their products. There is no way their interests can be traded away.
“In supporting the legitimate claims of prosecco producers, I was pleased to read last week of new research by Monash University and Macquarie University that backs up prosecco as a grape variety name.
“This research provides even further ammunition against the EU’s claims on prosecco, and potentially a range of other grape varieties.
“I also note that the EU is gunning for Australia’s dairy industry by seeking to ban the use of feta, parmesan, and haloumi as product names on cheeses produced here.
“European immigrants brought these products to Australia, and we are proud to share this heritage.
“The consequences of any Labor capitulation to European negotiators on GIs is losses of hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of jobs. That would a disaster for our country.”
Mr Hogan noted that Labor has only concluded 3 of our 17 FTAs, the last one in 2012. In contrast, the Coalition in Government not only concluded the balance but lifted Australia’s trade covered by FTAs from 27% to over 70%.
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Media Contact: Alison Penfold – 0408 633 026
