Import bans lifted on some Australian meat suppliers
China has lifted import bans on three Australian meat suppliers in another sign of improving trade relations between the two countries. China’s customs agency announced it was removing bans on imports of beef and mutton from Australian plants of JBS, a global foods company, and from the Australian Lamb Company, both in Victoria state, as well as from Teys Australia in South Australia state. "This is very welcome news for Australian farmers and meat processors," Australian Minister for Agriculture Murray Watt said in a statement.  "As our biggest trading partner, the normalisation of trade with China has been a win for our agricultural sector." Despite the breakthrough, the Australian Meat Industry Council said a number of processing plants were still in limbo. "We will continue to advocate strongly for all remaining suspended plants to also regain access to China as a matter of priority," council chief executive Patrick Hutchinson said.  Many of Australia's most lucrative export commodities were effectively banned from China as the two countries fought a bitter diplomatic dispute between 2020 and 2022. But as relations improved over the past year, Beijing has dropped tariffs on Australian barley, halted an import ban on timber and resumed shipments of coal. (AP/AFP)