Editorial: We are Trumped
OPINION: Nothing it seems can be done in the short term to get Donald Trump to change his mind about removing the unfair 15% tariffs that he’s imposed on New Zealand exports to the US.
The Trans-Pacific trade deal, CPTPP, has already cut tariffs on New Zealand beef to Japan from 38.5% to 26.6%.
According to Esther Guy-Meakin, Beef + Lamb NZ’s manager international trade, over the next 15 years those tariffs will fall to 9% “which is obviously quite a big win for us”, she told Rural News.
Estimates show the meat industry expects to save $60 million in tariffs into Japan once CPTPP is fully implemented.
On December 31, 2018 the CPTPP came into force and everyone in the 11-country trade deal had to make their first tariff cut and then in January everyone made their second, she says. Because of Japan’s financial year they were allowed to make their second cut on April 1. That brought the beef tariff down to the 26.6%.
“With the Japanese market the agreement also puts us on a level playing field with Australia, which has had a deal in place for a few years. That has meant they have an advantage,” says Guy-Meakin. “The CPTPP puts us on the same footing as Australia so we will have the same preferential access as them.”
Beef exports to Japan are about 4% of NZ global beef exports by volume, but of high value.
Guy-Meakin says while we have free trade agreements with many other CPTPP countries, we didn’t with Mexico, Peru, Canada and Japan.
“That means we [now] get a good deal with those countries too,” she says.
Like many manufacturers around the world, European agricultural machinery and tractor manufacturers are currently operating in a difficult market environment. But they are heading to the world’s largest agricultural machinery event in Hanover next month with a degree of cautious optimism.
Established in 2021, the John Deere Technician of the Year Awards champion the important contribution parts and service technicians make to the Australian and New Zealand agriculture, construction and forestry industries.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling on farmers from all regions to take part in the final season of the Sheep Poo Study aiming to build a clearer picture of how facial eczema (FE) affects farms across New Zealand.
New Zealand is closer to eradicating bovine TB than ever before, but possums remain a threat, says Beef + Lamb New Zealand.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.
The ACT Party says media reports that global dairy giant Nestle has withdrawn from the Dairy Methane Action Alliance shows why New Zealand needs to rethink its approach to climate.
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