Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Barnaby Joyce, said industries expected to benefit from trade talks with Peru included the kangaroo meat industry along with beef, horticulture and wine.
Mr Joyce said Peru’s booming gastronomy industry offered niche opportunities for many high-value Australian agricultural and food exports.
Ray Borda, President of the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia, said news of negotiations with Peru represented an exciting opportunity for kangaroo meat exports.
“It’s fantastic, not only are they big meat eaters in Peru but all throughout South America and they love the taste of kangaroo,” Mr Borda said.
“If negotiations go well this will be a huge step towards opening up the rest of South America and towards demonstrating how great this product is to the rest of the world.”
Minister Joyce said the Australia-Peru FTA not only offers immediate economic benefits to both nations, but also represents a critical gateway into Latin America.
“An FTA with Peru will strengthen our economic relationship with the region, facilitate essential value chains between the Americas and Asia and prove Australia’s credentials as a reliable and responsible supplier of high-quality agricultural produce,” Minister Joyce said.
“Peru is a member of the Pacific Alliance trading bloc and a FTA could be used as a stepping stone to an Australian-Pacific Alliance FTA, including Mexico, Chile and Colombia.”
