Farmers welcome free trade deal with UAE
New Zealand farmers are welcoming news of a free trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates, a key country in the Gulf region.
British and New Zealand trade negotiators are burning the midnight oil in a bid to get a free trade agreement between the two countries.
Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O'Connor had a Zoom call about the talks with his UK counterpart, Liz Truss, last week. When the pair met in July, they made much play of the fact that they would try and come to an agreement in principle by the end of August.
At the time, O'Connor noted the pressure was on to get an agreement but conceded there were sensitive issues.
Only recently, the former NZ High Commissioner, Sir Lockwood Smith, stated that the FTA with the UK was there to be had and if the present government didn't do a deal it would be a massive failure on their part.
Last week, as Rural News went to press, there was still no deal. However, O'Connor is hopeful of a deal and said that negotiations were "continuing" toward reaching an agreement in principle.
"However, as we have always said, we need that agreement to be commercially meaningful for our exporters."
O'Connor says NZ remains committed to negotiating a high quality, comprehensive and inclusive FTA with the UK.
According to ASB, Fonterra's plan to sell it's Anchor and Mainlands brands could inject $4.5 billion in additional spending into the economy.
New Zealand’s trade with the European Union has jumped $2 billion since a free trade deal entered into force in May last year.
The climate of uncertainty and market fragmentation that currently characterises the global economy suggests that many of the European agricultural machinery manufacturers will be looking for new markets.
Dignitaries from all walks of life – the governor general, politicians past and present, Maoridom- including the Maori Queen, church leaders, the primary sector and family and friends packed Our Lady of Kapiti’s Catholic church in Paraparaumu on Thursday October 23 to pay tribute to former prime Minister, Jim Bolger who died last week.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister, Todd McClay is encouraging farmers, growers, and foresters not to take unnecessary risks, asking that they heed weather warnings today.
With nearly two million underutilised dairy calves born annually and the beef price outlook strong, New Zealand’s opportunity to build a scalable dairy-beef system is now.

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