Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) and the Meat Industry Association (MIA) have welcomed the agreement to start the New Zealand-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations following the agreement from all European Union Member States on the negotiating mandate.
B+LNZ Chief Executive Sam McIvor says the agreement to start negotiations represents a significant milestone for the sector in the face of growing protectionist rhetoric worldwide.
“The FTA will create a stable and level playing field which is crucial to the growth and future prosperity of the sheep and beef sector and New Zealand as a whole.
“Over 600,000 New Zealand jobs directly depend on international trade, with the red meat sector alone employing over 80,000 people in New Zealand. All these jobs depend on our ability to export competitively and in a stable and predictable trading environment.”
According to B+L NZ, New Zealand shipped to the EU in the year ended December 2017 red meat products worth over NZ$1.8 billion. The EU represents New Zealand’s largest market by region for sheepmeat exports and second-largest for wool and chilled beef exports.
