Farrell will argue that Trump's tariffs are a potential roadblock to the relationship between Washington and Canberra. Australia supplies about half of the entire American lamb market, and the minister will press the case that hitting these imports with tariffs, which is currently under consideration, would only hurt average Americans, as the US found with beef.
"Our argument is that we want good relations with the United States," Farrell said in an interview. "They're our second-largest trading partner. They're our most important military partner. At the moment, our trade relationship is overwhelmingly in their favour."
On lamb, Farrell warned the tariffs would push up prices for ordinary American consumers. "It has an impact on their cost of living," he said. "We think it's counterproductive for them to apply tariffs to products like lamb, which simply pushes up the price for ordinary American consumers."
The comments come as Australia looks to fill gaps created by the escalating trade conflict between the US and Canada, with Farrell seeking greater access for Australian wines and spirits in the Canadian market during the G20 gathering.