13 December 2011
DAFF11/009TL
Good morning and thank you for joining me this morning.
I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedules.
As a member of parliament myself I understand well how demanding your Diet responsibilities are.
It is a privilege to be amongst friends here in Tokyo on my first visit to Japan as Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
I would like to start by offering my deepest condolences for the victims of the March earthquake and tsunami, which I understand has devastated rural agricultural and fisheries communities along the coast.
Following the serious flooding in my home state of Queensland, Australia, last January, I was touched by the outpouring of sympathy and understanding from the Japanese people.
Three months later, I was shocked by the events that took place just north of here on March 11. Australia rallied to support Japanese victims.
The Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, visited the community in April this year as the first foreign leader to visit the region.
The Australian Government and our agriculture sector continue to provide aid to support Japanese farmers and residents.
I was fortunate to visit the Tohoku region on Sunday to continue that aid, with Meat and Livestock Australia delivering more fodder to an agricultural high school that was directly impacted by the tsunami.
It is encouraging to see the ongoing and close relationship between Australia and Japan’s agricultural communities continuing to flourish in the aftermath of this disaster.
Recovery from a disaster of this magnitude will take time and I and other Australians have sincere admiration for the resilience shown by the Japanese people.
Australia and Japan have a close and respectful relationship.
Australia looks to Japan and sees a friend in the region, and a trusted commercial partner. Australia’s agricultural relationship with Japan is an essential component of this partnership.
While that relationship continues to deepen, our industries still face significant challenges including that of global food security.
It is increasingly clear that food security will be a global focus and concern well into the next decade.
This is a critical issue for Australia’s and Japan’s agriculture industries.
The world’s population is now at 7 billion and is projected to reach more than 9 billion by 2050.
There will be increasing pressure on our rural industries to provide safe, high quality food on a sustainable basis.
This is a significant challenge for food producers.
At the same time, our agriculture industries are facing other challenges such as climate change, competition for scarce land and resources and ongoing natural disasters.
Japanese and Australian farmers will be a vital element in meeting these challenges.
Our farmers will need to produce more, they will need to produce it efficiently and sustainably, and they will need to be able to send safe and nutritious food quickly and cheaply to where it will be consumed - whether this is to a domestic market or overseas.
It is our role, as policy makers, to foster the best possible situation for our farming industries to achieve this.
One part of this is improving the trading environment for our producers.
It is especially important for countries to establish reliable food trade relationships and manage supply chains to guarantee and reinforce trade routes.
In Australia we call this the journey from “from paddock to plate”.
Strong trade relationships also liberalise markets through free trade agreements and other trade negotiations.
This leads me to Australia and Japan’s current free trade agreement negotiations.
Japan is one of Australia’s most important and valuable customers in agricultural and food products.
Australia has benefited greatly from Japan’s excellent manufacturing and technology industries.
Japan has benefitted greatly from Australia’s safe, high quality and delicious food and agriculture products.
Australia’s counter seasonal production of many commodities benefits Japanese importers and Australian exporters.
We have a longstanding record as a reliable agricultural exporter to your country.
We are committed to supplying Japanese consumers with clean, safe, high quality agricultural products to support a healthy and nutritious diet.
This includes our beef and our seafood, including the much sought-after Southern Bluefin Tuna.
I visited Tokyo’s famous fish market yesterday morning and was amazed at the range and volume of seafood sold at the markets.
I was pleased to see this range includes Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna as well as Australia-sourced lobster, abalone, oysters and salmon.
Our beef and seafood markets are just two of the many agricultural industries that benefit from Australia and Japan’s close trading partnership.
Ours is a mutual trade partnership that benefits both sides.
I welcome the Japanese government’s recent decision to resume negotiations on Australia’s free trade agreement, which have been understandably delayed due to the March 11 disaster.
From Australia’s perspective, it is essential the negotiations are comprehensive, beneficial for both parties and result in a high quality agreement.
Our view on trade between Australia and Japan’s agricultural sectors is no different.
Let me be perfectly clear about this – while Australia strives for a commercially significant outcome on agriculture, we do not wish to see the destruction of Japanese agriculture as a result.
Nor would we ever do so.
Australia is not so large an agricultural producer that it will threaten the livelihood of Japanese producers by dramatically increasing exports.
Australia’s scope to increase production is limited by our geography and climate.
I have spoken this morning about Australia and Japan’s shared challenges in meeting future food security needs.
Not only Japan, but the world, needs Japanese agriculture to strengthen and grow so that Japanese farmers are part of the global food security solution.
Australia recognises Japan is already taking steps to reform and strengthen its agriculture sector in its own right.
Agriculture is a key part of reform measures announced by Japan in late 2010 and reaffirmed by Prime Minister Noda.
Australia welcomes your determination to deliver these important reforms for Japan’s agriculture sector.
An FTA can have other benefits too. It can reduce costs, increase efficiencies and provide choice to consumers.
By reducing protections through tariffs and other controls, it can strengthen our agricultural sectors even further.
I look forward to FTA negotiations between our two countries assisting Japan to capitalise upon these benefits.
Similarly, I acknowledge and welcome Japan’s important decision to begin consultation on joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
At APEC, Prime Minister Gillard and other TPP leaders announced agreement on the broad outlines of the partnership.
This included a commitment to a comprehensive, ambitious Free Trade Agreement that will eliminate tariffs and other barriers to trade and investment.
The importance of the TPP is widely recognised, and I have no doubt Japan and its farmers stand to benefit greatly by becoming involved.
The TPP aims to develop a regional agreement that further progresses the APEC vision for an economically integrated Asia-Pacific community.
It is hoped that TPP membership will continue to expand over time to other Asia-Pacific economies.
Consequently, Australia and other TPP parties have welcomed Japan’s interest in the partnership.
I look forward to continuing to progress and strengthen our close trading relationship, especially in regards to our agricultural sectors, through a FTA and possibly the TPP.
Agricultural relationships go beyond trade however.
In my discussions with Minister Kano yesterday, we recognised the breadth of bilateral cooperation between Australia and Japan.
Our two countries already cooperate on biosecurity, on food safety, on fisheries, on forestry policy, and on information exchange regarding the supply and demand of key products.
With the growing need to supply the world’s population with healthy, nutritious and secure food, it is more important than ever for Australia and Japan to ensure this cooperation continues to grow.
I look forward to working together with Japan to strengthen our agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors into the future.
I would like to thank you again for your warm welcome today.
I am very pleased to be here and look forward to many more opportunities to promote the highly productive partnership Australia has with Japan.
Thank you.
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