Tough trade
OPINION: Known for serious trade negotiations with global politicians, top NZ trade official Vangelis Vitalis also knows how to crack jokes.
Negotiations this week in Wellington are expected to further advance a free trade agreement (FTA) between New Zealand and the European Union (EU).
A large EU delegation and their NZ counterparts are working towards a hoped-for comprehensive and quality FTA by late 2019.
An inevitable sticking point will be agricultural tariff rate quotas (TRQs) and geographic indicators (GIs) especially in respect of dairy, e.g. a cheese name such as Gouda referring to its region of origin.
When the EU’s commissioner for agriculture and rural development, Phil Hogan, visited NZ in February he told Dairy News of good progress in the negotiations. He was optimistic that a quality deal would be struck.
Hogan described GIs as rural intellectual property in the EU and he noted they are well accepted in the NZ wine industry.
The FTA talks come as Brexit enters a hiatus: Britain’s departure is now scheduled for October 31 – Halloween, noted for tricks and treats.
Meanwhile, in London MPs and officials at the Houses of Parliament at Westminster are suffering a plague of mice running over desks and brazenly eating food on tables in MPs’ cafes.
All the while, say commentators, Theresa May must deal with a rat pack of ministers and MPs in House of Commons where Brexit is delayed.
Should Britain fail to leave the EU by Halloween and were the Brexit debate to spill over to 2020 it would be perhaps fitting: 2020 if the Chinese year of the rat.
A technical lab manager for Apata, Phoebe Scherer, has won the Bay of Plenty 2025 Young Grower regional title.
Following heavy rain which caused flooding in parts of Nelson-Tasman and sewerage overflows in Marlborough, the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (IFSO Scheme) is urging homeowners and tenants to be cautious when cleaning up and to take the right steps to support claims.
Newly elected Federated Farmers meat and wool group chair Richard Dawkins says he will continue the great work done his predecessor Toby Williams.
Hosted by ginger dynamo Te Radar, the Fieldays Innovation Award Winners Event put the spotlight on the agricultural industry's most promising ideas.
According to DairyNZ's latest Econ Tracker update, there has been a rise in the forecast breakeven milk price for the 2025/26 season.
Despite the rain and a liberal coating of mud, engines roared, and the 50th Fieldays Tractor Pull Competition drew crowds of spectators across the four days of the annual event.
OPINION: It's official, Fieldays 2025 clocked 110,000 visitors over the four days.
OPINION: The Federated Farmers rural advocacy hub at Fieldays has been touted as a great success.