NZ Cheesemakers Urged to Compete but Stay Visible
Local cheesemakers are being urged to embrace competition from imports but also ensure their products are never invisible in the country.
Berry says NZ's open door trade policy provides zero protection to New Zealand domestic producers.
"Inferior industrially bulk manufactured EU cheese are becoming more and more prevalent in our market as a result."
Another challenge facing local cheesemakers is accessing naming rights already used in Europe.
Cheese produced in New Zealand branded as 'feta' will have to find another name under the free trade agreement (FTA) the Government recently secured with the European Union.
The deal includes what are referred to as geographic indications (GI), which are names of products unique to a certain area that a country or market wants to protect.
"The naming rights of feta is an opportunity for NZ producers to stamp our quality mark on our own NZ fetas, separating them from the inferior EU bulk industrial shipments. It will be interesting to see if Danish feta cheese, where the majority is produced in Europe, is able to use the Greek certified name," says Berry.
