Changing global trade ties

Over 45% of our lamb exports by value are sold into these markets. The EU& is our highest value beef market and the UK is becoming increasingly important with growing sales under our bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

The trip underscored how much the nature of our global relationships is evolving.

Where once our international engagements were dominated by tensions arising from our FTA negotiations, today there’s growing recognition that New Zealand is a reliable and consistent trading partner — one that plays a key role in keeping quality lamb on UK and European tables all year round.

More importantly, the trip confirmed we’re no longer seen as just exporters, but as partners facing many of the same on-farm challenges — climate policy, regulatory pressures, and evolving consumer expectations.

The conversation is shifting from competition to collaboration and the many opportunities we have to work together as farmers.

During the trip, I met with national farmer organisations across England, Wales and Ireland, as well as EU trade officials and industry groups.

Climate policy was a dominant theme, and the treatment of methane in international climate accounting was a shared frustration. Methane, a short-lived gas, is often bundled with long-lived gases like carbon dioxide, distorting its actual impact and unfairly penalising livestock farmers.

It does feel like we’re making some progress on this, however. Beef + Lamb New Zealand is working closely with key counterparts in the region on a joint position that reflects the latest science, which we’ll take wider to other groups and more countries.

We’re aligned in pushing for recognition of methane’s different warming profile and advocating for fair, science- based targets in international frameworks like the Paris Agreement. With an expected UNFCCC review of how methane is treated in international policy in the next few years, now is the time to amplify this message and create a united global voice for sensible, science-based policy.

On-farm, the discussions were equally strong. I spent time with farmers across the UK and Ireland comparing systems, discussing our different practices and the motivations for these.

Animal welfare was a central part of our conversations with industry and government, who reported that consumer expectations on this issue are increasing, with retailers playing a larger role in driving change.

This does increase pressure to continually demonstrate high standards, but New Zealand is in a strong position here. Our animal welfare and environmental standards are at least equivalent to, and often exceed, those in the UK and EU and farmer uptake of our farm assurance programme (NZFAP) was the envy of many.

In Brussels, EU trade officials acknowledged that visits to New Zealand farms were instrumental in reshaping perceptions during our FTA negotiations. Seeing our systems firsthand helped them understand that different farming practices can deliver equivalent animal welfare outcomes, not lesser — a critical point as we advocate for fair treatment in emerging barriers to trade.

In Wales, the conversation turned to biodiversity and government policies that incentivise land use change with schemes encouraging and incentivising farmers to destock the hill country. Local farmers expressed concern about the loss of their ‘upland’ farming heritage, the long-term impact on sheep numbers and the resulting impact on the rural economy.

Their worries mirrored ours in New Zealand, where we’re also grappling with the unintended consequences of policies like the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and increasing afforestation. These policy shifts, while well-intentioned, risk undermining food production and rural communities if not carefully balanced.

In the EU, we voiced concerns around the incoming deforestationfree supply chain regulations. We heard from a number of key EU stakeholders who share similar concerns. Leveraging these relationships could provide an opportunity to seek sensible changes in the coming months.

While the goal of sustainable supply chains is widely supported, the complexity and compliance burden of new rules threaten to disproportionately affect farmers who are already meeting high environmental standards. Regulations must support existing efforts — not duplicate or penalise them.

In every country we discussed defending the role of red meat and animal protein in a healthy balanced diet. There is already good work happening in this space, but it’s clear to me we need to work together to amplify that message.

What stood out across all countries was a strong sense of shared purpose. Farmers everywhere are balancing production with sustainability, meeting consumer demands while navigating regulatory change.

It was about strengthening relationships, aligning on common issues, and building a global narrative that reflects the realities of modern farming.

By working in partnership with like-minded nations, we can build a united front — one that ensures agriculture remains productive, sustainable, and respected on the global stage.

Kate Acland is Beef + Lamb New Zealand chair