Trade Minister Simon Birmingham has released the names of 172 foods and 236 spirits the European Union wants protected under a free trade agreement with Australia.
The list includes cheeses feta, gruyere and gorgonzola, along with spirits including grappa and ouzo.
National Farmers’ Federation chief executive Tony Mahar is concerned about the starting point of the negotiations on food names, with feta a major worry for dairy producers.
“Changes to require manufacturers and farmers to call it something like crumbly cheese in brine just would be devastating,” he told AAP on Wednesday.
“That would be such a change to the dynamics of the marketplace. We think that’s unfair.”
He said forcing changes to names consumers were familiar with would have a significant impact on the dairy sector, which has faced serious challenges in recent years.
The Australian Dairy Industry Council has put the potential impact of strict enforcement of new naming rules at up to $90 million a year in the early stages of a free trade deal.
Senator Birmingham insists there’s no guarantee the deal will be sealed, with the agreement only to go ahead if it’s in Australia’s national interest.
Mr Mahar said the trade deal must have a positive impact for agriculture, with farmers grappling with drought, flood and fires as the industry aims to raise production to $100 billion by 2030.
“It’s a very clear message to the trade minister: back Australian farmers in this agreement,” he said.
The EU has warned Australia it is unlikely to offer major concessions for red meat, dairy, sugar and rice exports.
Mr Mahar said the starting point for negotiations was slanted in the negative against agriculture.
“We’re a bit concerned at the opening start of negotiations, but we hope and we’ll be demanding that there’s good market access for Australian farmers as part of this agreement,” he said.
The EU has also confirmed it will push ahead in its quest for prosecco to be protected, despite the sparkling wine not appearing on the list.
The UK’s claims, which include scotch beef and lamb and blue stilton cheese, would be dropped from this agreement if Britain leaves the EU as expected on October 31.
