EUROPE will allow upmarket Australian beef to be sold in its markets duty free by Easter.
The move comes only months after Australia announced it would lift a ban on beef from nations previously afflicted with mad cow disease.
Boutique Australian beef will make it to European Union shelves duty free by the first quarter of 2010, a spokesman for Trade Minister Simon Crean said.
Under present rules, high-quality Australian beef exports are subject to a 20 per cent duty in the 27-member EU.
Agriculture Minister Tony Burke said an improvement in market access would help farmers struggling with a strong Australian dollar.
Mr Crean said improved access to European markets showed the need for protectionism to be resisted.
Australia exports more than $136 million worth of beef to the EU every year, the federal government says.
Australian bans on beef imports from mad cow disease nations end on March 1.
