increase font size
The way government regulates the amount of dairy products a company can export is to change.
The way government regulates the amount of dairy products a company can export is to change.
But it will be at least a year before this comes into force.
Quota allocations are currently based on each dairy company’s share of milksolids collected from farmers. However, this excludes businesses who don’t collect milksolids but who still want to export dairy products into quota markets.
However, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says the new, improved system will instead move to allocation based on each company’s share of total exports by volume of the relevant product, including exports to non-quota markets. He says it will help to boost NZ’s $26 billion dairy export industry.
The present system which is administered by MPI was introduced in 2007, and O’Connor says it is no longer fit for purpose.
“Things have changed, including the fact that since 2017, New Zealand has signed seven new or upgraded Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). NZ now has several new dairy quotas including the European Union and the United Kingdom. The new quota system will make sure that our dairy exporters are able to get the most out of these market opportunities,” he says.
O’Connor says moving away from the prohibitive milksolids model will also open up quota access for non-bovine dairy exports – like sheep and goat products – and provide new room for growth and innovation.
“These changes will ensure that we have a dairy quota system that is fair and provides opportunities for everyone – including small businesses and Māori enterprises,” he says.
The improvements to the dairy export quota system will require amendments to the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act 2021 (DIRA) to be passed by Parliament. The soonest the changes could be in place is by late 2024, meaning that the 2025 dairy export quota allocation round could be made under the new system.
A Hawke's Bay apple orchardist supports the Government's objective of doubling exports but says this won't happen in the horticulture sector unless there's a change in the process for bringing new plant material into the country.
Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) says a new report projects strong export growth for New Zealand's horticulture sector highlights the industry's increasing contribution to the national economy.
When it comes to international trade, politicians from all sides of the aisle are united, says Labour's trade spokesman Damien O'Connor.
Global trade wars and uncertain tariff regimes could play into the hands of many New Zealand exporters, according to Gareth Coleman ANZ’s Head of Trade & Supply Chain.
A new Indonesian school milk programme is expected to significantly increase the country's total dairy consumption, creating opportunities for New Zealand and other global dairy players.
Tracing has indicated that the source of the first velvetleaf find of the 2025-26 crop season, in Auckland, was likely maize purchased in the Waikato region.
Fish & Game New Zealand has announced its election priorities in its Manifesto 2026.
With the forage maize harvest started in Northland and the Waikato, the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) is telling growers of later crops, or those further south, to start checking their maize crop maturity about three weeks prior to when they think they will start silage harvesting.
Irrigation NZ is warning that the government's Resource Management Act (RMA) reform risks falling short of its objectives unless water use for food production and water storage infrastructure are clearly recognised in the goals at the top of the new system.
More than five million trays, or 18,000 tonnes, of Zespri’s RubyRed Kiwifruit will soon be available for consumers across 16 markets this season.
The Government has announced its support for 18 community-based initiatives through its Rural Wellbeing Fund.
OPINION: The good news keeps getting better for NZ dairy farmers.
OPINION: With export of livestock by sea dead in the water, opponents of the Gene Technology Bill think they can…
