\u201cWhat the prime minister needs to do is leverage the very good relationship<\/a> that he tells us he has with President Xi, and make sure he makes contact, and makes it very clear that Australia should not be included in any of these arrangements,\u201d Ley said.<\/p>\n Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hosking said Australian exporters would have to seek new markets for beef when China\u2019s tariffs kick in. This would squeeze profit margins, he said, but deliver good news for Australian shoppers.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the average Australian, when they walk into the supermarket, they may get to enjoy some of that premium beef that would have once gone to China,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Loading<\/p>\n \u201cThat could be seen as a good thing, but we want farmers to be rewarded for what they produce too.\u201d<\/p>\n Robert Mackenzie, a beef producer that runs Macka\u2019s Pastoral<\/a> north of Newcastle, said the quota announcement was \u201cdevastating\u201d for his business, which counts Chinese buyers among his top customers.<\/p>\n \u201cThis has hit us like a tonne of bricks,\u201d Mackenzie said. \u201cI can understand why the Chinese government might want to make their local beef more accessible for local consumers, but I\u2019m not sure this is the right way to go about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Robert Mackenzie, centre-right, with father Bruce and sons James (left) and Jack (right), at Macka\u2019s Pastoral<\/p>\n Cattle Australia, the peak body for graziers, agreed with the forecasted $1 billion loss of exports to China and said the quota system would restrict access to reliable meat products.<\/p>\n Loading<\/p>\n Chairman Garry Edwards said China\u2019s restrictions breached the spirit of the free trade deal with Australia, and demanded an explanation for the decision.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are deeply disappointed by this decision \u2013 a decision we believe to be entirely unwarranted and at odds with the sentiment of the free trade agreement we share,\u201d said Edwards.<\/p>\n![\"Robert](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/e0051a58dc2a3012b149b5a9eb23641cecaba977.jpeg\")
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