Friday, 04 October 2024 09:13

New Zealand’s red meat sector welcomes postponement of EU deforestation regs

Written by  Staff Reporters
Meat Industry Association chair Nathan Guy. Meat Industry Association chair Nathan Guy.

The Meat Industry Association (MIA) and Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) say they welcome the announcement that the European Union’s Deforestation-free supply chains Regulation (EUDR) will be delayed by 12 months.

The red meat sector has been advocating strongly for a delay and a review for almost two years.

The two industry bodies say the announcement shows that the haste with which the regulation was designed and implemented was going to disrupt global supply chains and threaten $200 million worth of NZ exports.

MIA chair Nathan Guy says while the red meat sector supports the intent to tackle global deforestation, both MIA and B+LNZ believe the EUDR has been poorly designed, poorly drafted, and is not fit for purpose.

“The EUDR would impact approximately $200 million worth of beef and leather exports to the EU," Guy says.

“Instead of incentivising the trade of deforestation-free products, the EUDR sees exports from countries with extremely low instances of deforestation, like New Zealand, treated the same as countries where there is a high-risk of this occurring.

“New Zealand beef exports’ sustainability credentials need to be formally recognised and treated differently to competitors with deforestation issues.”

B+LNZ chair Kate Acland says New Zealand has strong sustainability credentials and is committed to preserving forests.

“Sheep and beef farms contain approximately 25 percent of the total native vegetation (tussock, native bush, and scrubland) in New Zealand, comprising 2.8 million hectares.

“This should be recognised by New Zealand’s trading partners, particularly those we have a Free Trade Agreement with.

“Unlike some of our competitors, New Zealand has a significant trend of afforestation, not deforestation. This regulation was not appropriate for New Zealand’s situation and risks adding additional unnecessary cost into the supply chain.

“Maintaining market access settings for New Zealand’s beef is critical with approximately 60 percent of export revenues flowing through to farmers.”

B+LNZ’s UK-based Regional Manager for the EU and UK, as well as in market activity from NZ-based staff, has been integral to securing the delay, she says.

“New Zealand’s voice was key in helping EU regulators understand that even their most sustainable trading partners would struggle to comply with these regulations.

“This is not the first time the sector has been successful in its advocacy efforts to address non-tariff trade barriers with the EU and follows the successful exclusion of sheep products from the EUDR in 2022," she says.

“The desire to extend EUDR to sheep products still exists in some EU circles and we will continue our advocacy efforts in this space.

“B+LNZ and MIA thank the Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Hon Todd McClay, and New Zealand government officials for their hard work in advocating for this outcome. We look forward to working together to secure a more permanent solution.”

More like this

Red meat's China push

The red meat sector is launching a new campaign to lure Chinese consumers to New Zealand grass-fed beef and lamb.

Primary sector chuffed

Meat Industry Association chair Nathan Guy says his organisation welcomes the new trade deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), noting the UAE is the second largest market for the red meat sector in the Gulf Cooperation Council after Saudi Arabia.

Featured

New ag degrees at Massey

Changing skill demands and new job opportunities in the primary sector have prompted Massey University to create a new degree course and add a significant major into another in 2025.

The show is on!

It was bringing in a new Canterbury A&P Association (CAPA) show board, more in tune with the CAPA general committee, that has ensured that Christchurch will have a show this year, says CAPA general committee president Bryce Murray.

National

Food charity to hold online auction

Meat the Need, New Zealand’s dedicated charity delivering locally sourced protein meals to food-insecure communities, is launching an online National…

Machinery & Products

An ideal solution for larger farms

Designed specifically for large farms that want to drill with maximum flexibility, efficiency and power, the new Lemken Solitair ST…

Landpower increases its offering

Landpower and the Claas Harvest Centre network will launch the Claas Scorpion and Torion material handling solutions to the market…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Leaky waka

OPINION: Was the ASB Economic Weekly throwing shade on Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr when reporting on his speech in…

Know-it-alls

OPINION: A reader recently had a shot at the various armchair critics that she judged to be more than a…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter