Esther Guy-Meakin Appointed Chief Executive of the NZ Meat Board
Esther Guy-Meakin has been announced as the new chief executive of the New Zealand Meat Board (NZMB).
The UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA), agreed to by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week, represents a useful yardstick for New Zealand negotiations, say leaders in the red meat sector.
Chief executive of the Meat Industry Association Sirma Karapeeva says the deal sets a useful baseline for negotiations between New Zealand and the UK with evenutal tariff free access for sheepmeat and beef and zero tariff rates on in-quota trade in the interim.
"However, the devil is often in the detail in trade agreements and we'll be studying this closely when the agreement eventually comes out," Karapeeva says.
“We will be looking to achieve a better outcome in the NZ-UK FTA and we look forward to a swift conclusion of our own FTA negotiations. Unfortunately, we are still seeing a gap between rhetoric and action.”
Meanwhile Sam McIvor, chief executive of Beef + Lamb NZ, says the agreement is a significant milestone for the UK as it seeks to forge an independent trade policy post-Brexit.
“It’s giving some better signals around the UK’s intentions to be a serious free trader. The UK-Australia deal looks like it is a shift away rom the EU protectionist model and this is welcome.”
Signing up to a benchmarking tool is not about competition, but about improving collectively, says Ximena Puig and Alvaro Luzardo who are 50-50 sharemilkers at a 164-hectare (effective) dairy farm in Eketāhuna in the Lower North Island.
A leading British farming politician says he's impressed with the positive attitude of New Zealand farmers that he met during his recent trip here.
OPINION: With 10,500 dairy farms, New Zealand continues to punch above its weight around the world.
The Southern Dairy Hub (SDH), which runs a demonstration farm for South Island farmers, has a new general manager.
Esther Guy-Meakin has been announced as the new chief executive of the New Zealand Meat Board (NZMB).
According to a progress report on the Aotearoa Horticulture Action Plan (AHAP), New Zealand's horticulture sector is making real progress on the big issues facing growers.

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