Report honesty on Chinese meat delays will rebuild trust

2 July 2013

Report honesty on Chinese meat delays will rebuild trust

“Refreshingly honest” is how Federated Farmers is describing the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) report into the delays, which affected New Zealand meat exports to China.

“Having read the MPI report and chronology involved, this is a refreshingly honest and critical self-examination of what went wrong in China,” says Bruce Wills, Federated Farmers President.

“As the report comes out of the MPI, its honesty will help to rebuild trust. The recommendations are sensible in a market where we have seen phenomenal growth since 2008 when the Free Trade Agreement was signed.

“This rapid growth is no excuse so the report highlights that resources need to match growth. As an exporting country we must listen to our customers and this report tells us that this did not happen.

“We remain highly Eurocentric despite living and trading in the Asia-Pacific region.

“The need is for government departments, educators and exporters, as well as farmers, to understand our customers. We need to understand their systems and ways of doing things a lot better than we currently do.

“Given the Trans Pacific Partnership is in the offing, let alone hopes for Free Trade Agreements with countries like South Korea, India and Russia, this to us is a pressing need.

“While farmers will welcome this candid report there will be a cost on us, largely indirect through shareholder dividends and market prices. We all hope these errors are not repeated.

“If anything, this report underscores the need for us all to pivot towards an Asia-Pacific future,” Mr Wills concluded.

To read Delays to New Zealand Meat to China - A Learnings Review please click here.

ENDS

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