Australia is no stranger to extreme weather, but this summer has been particularly brutal – and the estimated fire season hasn’t even started. Devastating floods in Far North Queensland and raging bushfires in Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia have left already struggling communities reeling, and fragile ecosystems in further distress....
In June 2018, the European Union and Australia formally opened negotiations for a free trade agreement. Australia is presently ranked as the EU’s nineteenth largest trading partner in goods, while the EU is Australia’s third largest trading partner.
The proposed trade agreement between the EU and Australia is viewed by both parties as an opportunity to increase trade and the deal is likely to further increase trade – or, at a minimum, increase trade opportunities – in animal agricultural products, including meat, egg and dairy products. Likewise, while Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) open markets, create business and employment opportunities, and can increase economic growth, new increased access to markets also leads to increases in legal and illegal trade in a wide variety of products, including wildlife and wildlife products.
