Tuesday, 28 January 2025 10:07

Tariff risk

Written by  The Hound

OPINION: Some commentators across the ditch reckon the second Trump administration's anticipated trade protectionism, coupled with China's economic fragility, poses a significant risk for Australia's agricultural export industries.

They fear Trump's rigid stance on tariffs could destabilise global trade flows and intensify China's economic slowdown, "creating cascading impacts on Australian beef, wool, cotton, barley, and dairy sectors".

The Hound takes what any Aussie says with a grain of salt, but if this holds water, NZ will also be affected.

Like us, Australia's overreliance on China leaves it vulnerable to macroeconomic shocks.

To mitigate risks, Australian & NZ producers would benefit by doubling down on diversifying trade partnerships through FTAs, particularly in India, Indonesia, the UK, and Southeast Asia.

More like this

Wrong focus

OPINION: Your old mate reckons townie Brooke van Velden, the Minister of Workplace (or is it Woke Place) Relations is now showing how underemployed she is as a minister by initiating an investigation into whether young children should be banned from collecting eggs on farms and feeding animals.

Burn the village

OPINION: There's an infamous term coined by a US general during the Vietnam war, specifically in reference to the battle of Ben Tre: "We had to burn the village to save it."

Purist problem

OPINION: The sudden departure of Jim Ward, manager of Molesworth Station for 24 years, highlighted some major dysfunction in the way conservation estate is managed in this country - the biggest problem, as the Hound sees it, being idealogues who harp on about "taonga" and use all means possible to block sensible commercial operations on conservation land.

Drill baby, drill!

OPINION: While the destruction of NZ's oil and gas industry by Jacinda Ardern's band of merry vandals was virtue signalling on a heroic scale - producing no environmental benefit whatsoever - the politician vowing to make that industry whole again, Shane Jones, is not above a bit of virtue signalling of his own.

Featured

National

Big day at Clash of the Colleges

Craighead Diocesan, Darfield High School and Christchurch Boys' High School took out the three age groups at the Canterbury Clash…

Machinery & Products

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Sugar hit

OPINION: Winston Peters has described the decision to sell its brand to Lactalis and disperse the profit to its farmer…

Wrong focus?

OPINION: The Hound reckons a big problem with focusing too much on the wrong goal - reducing livestock emissions at…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter