Tariff elimination is pushed on NZ visit to US
Dr Scott Champion met with representatives from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the American Sheep Industry Association, as well as state and federal government agencies, members of the US congress and US and New Zealand businesses.
Champion said: "It is evident that the TPP is entering its final stages and that tough decisions on countries’ most sensitive products will soon need to be dealt with.
"Our message remained clear that we require comprehensive, meaningful, duty-free access to all TPP markets. We also highlighted the need for identical market access offers for all beef exporting countries."
He added that it was encouraging to see the benefits of Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s membership in the Five Nations Beef Alliance.
"While we are all competitors in the market, on pre-competitive issues that impact all of us, our collective beef voice is clearly having a unique and useful impact in Washington DC and on Capitol Hill," he said.
One point of contention raised, was the New Zealand beef industry’s frustration with the length of time it was taking to address the US mandatory country of origin labelling rules, said the association.
Champion continued: "The US remains New Zealand’s largest beef market and we have many shared interests with respect to both the US and New Zealand’s access to export markets. Given this, it’s important that we are building stronger relationships with our US counterparts, and gaining a better understanding of the US market and US agricultural issues."
