EU and India trade deals need more work for Australian agriculture

Don Farrell met with his Indian and European trade minister counterparts at the World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference in Geneva, with all parties reaffirming their commitment to negotiate a free-trade agreement.

National Farmers' Federation chief economist Ash Salardini said agriculture does want an agreement with the EU, "but it wants a good one".

"Unfortunately the EU's starting position for a whole lot of things around agriculture is a sticking point," Mr Salardini said.

The EU has labelled several ag commodities as sensitive outcomes and outside the FTA, which means the union is less willing to negotiate on reducing tariffs or increasing quotas.

The EU is also taking a hard line stance on geographical indicators and wants items such as feta and haloumi sold under a different name.

"Our companies and small businesses have built their brands around these commonly-used terms for decades, so it's a big ask," Mr Salardini said.

If those barriers could be overcome, Mr Salardini said an EU FTA would open up a market of half-a-billion people.

An Indian FTA, which has long been considered an elusive golden goose, would open up a market double the size of the EU.

Australia signed an interim trade agreement with India in April, which Mr Farrell hoped to ratify quickly to "deliver immediate trade benefits for our countries".

The interim agreement saw incremental improvements to sheep meat and horticulture, which although not "a game change", were a promising sign.

Mr Salardini said the industry was seeking proper access to dairy and grains, particularly barley.

"Not just in tariffs and quotas, but better commitment from India abiding by the rules of the game," he said.

Historically, India has been wary of foreign agricultural produce, concerned about the impact it could have on its large farming population, which has led to several trade deals falling through at the last minute.

"We've been here a few times before, and success won't be measured in weeks, but in months, years and decades," Mr Salardini said.

"We need to convey the right message to India. We're not going to threaten the domestic market - it's a market of a billion people and we could never supply all of that.

"But what we can do is help India with its food security. If there's a bad year and the local crop doesn't meet the demand, that's where we can help. It could be a win-win."