Singapore sees an increase in poultry imports from Australia

The Straits Times reports that Singapore imported 9% (or $7.2 million worth) of Australia’s total poultry products in 2022. The streamlined import processes were announced by the Singapore Food Agency in June 2022 and saw Australian poultry imports being temporarily exempted from government veterinary inspections before and after the birds were slaughtered. This exemption led to a 54% increase in Australia’s exports of poultry to Singapore from June to July in 2022, compared with the same period in 2021. In September, this exemption was made permanent.

Green Economy Agreement

In October, Singapore and Australia extended their cooperation with the signing of a Green Economy Agreement. Under the agreement, both countries will embark on 17 joint initiatives for a start, such as developing a list of environmental goods and services with an eye to reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers. It will reduce hurdles to cross-border trade in clean energy, for instance, and will target areas such as sustainable agriculture and green shipping corridors, outlining a set of green economy principles and the scope of cooperation in 7 areas, including trade, carbon markets and clean energy.