The Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ) is welcoming the progress made towards realisation of a TPP agreement (now referred to as CPTPP).
“Timely implementation of the CPTPP market access arrangements is necessary to ensure New Zealand exporters do not end up at a tariff disadvantage into one of our largest dairy markets” says DCANZ Executive Director Kimberly Crewther
The trade dynamic for dairy in the trans-pacific region has evolved in recent months with the European Union and Japan concluding negotiation of an FTA agreement which delivers market access gains to European dairy exporters similar to those agreed for New Zealand under TPP. Maintaining a level playing field into the Japanese dairy market (worth more than NZ$630 million to New Zealand dairy exporters in the year to June 2017) is now dependent on the timing of CPTPP implementation.
The European Union is also negotiating an upgrade to its FTA with Mexico, which is also a CPTPP partner country and New Zealand’s 11th largest dairy export market.
“Longer-term we hope CPTPP will provide a stepping-stone to the elimination of all remaining barriers to regional dairy trade” says Crewther. “While the agreement does not go as far as we would have liked in term of dairy access it does represent an important step forward”.
DCANZ considers that the agreement as a whole will be a significant framework for facilitating closer trading relationships. This will result in benefits to the trans-pacific region as a whole through increased economic growth, and increased economic growth will in turn support countries to invest in and achieve their social aspirations.
“We congratulate Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Trade Minister David Parker on the progress they have made to enable the new Labour-led Government to support the agreement” says Crewther.
“DCANZ values New Zealand bipartisan support for trade liberalisation. We also acknowledge the tireless work undertaken by a large number of officials to maintain and improve the international trading environment for New Zealand exporters”.