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.
A warning to the red meat sector that competition in many of its key markets is heating up.
This comes from the Director General of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Ray Smith in a keynote address to the Red Meat Sector conference in Wellington last week.
He says relying on 'brand New Zealand' won't be enough to ward off the many meat producing countries that are exporting to markets in which NZ has had something of a privileged position for years.
Smith says, for example, Australia has increased the volume of sheepmeat it exports while South America has increased its beef exports.
His warning to the sector was one of the key themes at the conference. Other speakers had similar messages and said NZ needs to lift its game in dealing with competitors and securing access to developing markets. Issues such as FTAs and having quality international relationships in key forums to state NZ's case were also advocated.
Smith says NZ has to make sure that high value consumers understand the full range of attributes out grass-fed products offer and that they are better in every respect to grain-fed animal products.
"We must work hard to see that this proposition resonates with high-paying customers. Remember that NZ is targeting customers with a product that is higher in value and we are looking for those higher value customers to find their way towards our product. There is quite a bit of work to do in market but there is quite a bit of opportunity there for the taking," he says.
Ray Smith says MPI is reorganising its own capability in market access and trade to put greater focus on ensuring NZ companies maximise value from existing FTAs.
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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