NZ red meat exports up 6% as global supply tightens
Tighter beef and lamb production globally have worked to the advantage of NZ, according to the Meat Industry Association (MIA).
The free trade agreement with Korea is critical for New Zealand sheep and beef farmers and meet exporters, says Beef + Lamb NZ chairman James Parsons.
It keeps us competitive in this key market, says Parsons.
The free trade agreement (FTA) will be a significant step towards reducing the overall amount of tariffs paid on New Zealand red meat exports, says both Parsons and the Meat Industry Association (MIA).
Trade Minister Tim Groser signed this week the New Zealand Korea FTA with his Korean counterpart.
The New Zealand sheep and beef sector is worth $8.5 billion, with close to 90% exported, on which we paid $318 million of tariffs in 2013. A significant proportion of those tariffs were paid in Korea ($52m) – where applied tariffs on our beef exports are 40%.
Korea is New Zealand's fourth-largest beef market by volume, taking nearly $125 million of beef exports last year. However, trade volumes have dropped significantly in recent years, partly due to competitors such as the United States, and more recently Australia and Canada, having a tariff advantage through their FTAs with Korea.
"These negotiations were tough, and credit must go to our government negotiators and to Trade Minister Groser for the excellent job they did in getting this deal done" said MIA chairman Bill Falconer.
B+LNZ and MIA work together to improve access for sheep and beef products to overseas markets, including by providing in-depth analysis in support of the Government's FTA negotiation efforts.
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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