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Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay.
Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says the Government is always working to ensure that our food exporters are treated fairly under trade agreements signed with other countries.
Speaking at the NZ Dairy Industry Awards in Queenstown, he highlighted the simmering trade dispute between NZ and Canada over the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
New Zealand initiated the dispute because Canada was not complying with CPTPP rules, blocking dairy exporters' access to its market.
A CPTPP arbitration panel ruled decisively in New Zealand's favour. Canada had until 1 May to change how it administered its tariff quotas - to stop giving its own domestic industry priority access, and to allow exporters to benefit fully from the market access negotiated in good faith between Canada and New Zealand.
McClay says NZ takes its trade obligations seriously and expects other countries to do the same.
"Canada is a great friend of NZ, we work together well around the world, but they must deliver on their obligations," he says. "And on your behalf the government reserves the right to use any instrumental at our disposal."
Trade Minister Todd McClay says his officials plan to meet their US counterparts every month from now on to better understand how the 15% tariff issue there will play out, and try and get some certainty there for our exporters about the future.
New Zealand avocado growers have received a major boost by securing a collective FernMark Licence for their exports.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says the US tariff decision appears to be based on a calculation of trade deficits, with countries running a surplus with the US moved to the higher rate.
With adverse weather set to rain down on the Top of the South, the Bay of Plenty and parts of Northland, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says farmers, foresters, and growers need to prepare for possible challenges.
A long running trade dispute between New Zealand and Canada over dairy access has been resolved.
NZPork has appointed Auckland-based Paul Bucknell as its new chair.
The Government claims to have delivered on its election promise to protect productive farmland from emissions trading scheme (ETS) but red meat farmers aren’t happy.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
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