The Free Trade Agreement With The United Kingdom Is Already Paying Dividends For Red Meat Exporters

The free trade agreement with the United Kingdom is already paying dividends for red meat exporters according to Meat Industry Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva. Ms Karapeeva says over the past three months, New Zealand has exported 650 tonnes of beef worth about $8.1 million to the UK, a significant increase in volume and value compared to last year. Sirma Karapeeva says last year beef exported into the UK, was hit with a 20% tariff. So we are starting to see some meaningful tariff savings in the first three months of the FTA already. Sirma Karapeeva has just returned from China, where she led a Meat Industry Association technical delegation and says post-covid China is different to the one she visited prior to the pandemic, but while the economy is subdued there are still opportunities for NZ exporters because a lot of consumer preferences come under what NZ is offering because we have a good story to tell.