Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Kate Acland: Beef & Lamb Chair says Donald Trump's tariffs will damage the meat industry

Transcript

Kate Acland: Beef & Lamb Chair says Donald Trump's tariffs will damage the meat industry · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Our top trade diplomats heading to the States as we
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: speak to try and bargain down our tariff rate on
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: exports to the US. We've been hit with fifteen percent
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: on Friday. Australia got away with ten. Our trade Minster
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Todd McClay will plead his case in the coming week.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: So what does the industry make of it all? Kate
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Eckland Beef for Nam New Zealand chair with us this morning. Kay,
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: Good morning, morning Ryan. What is this a big difference
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: for exporters?
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: Oh? Look, we're incredibly disappointed and the main reason is
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: it places our farms and exporters at a clear competitive disadvantage.
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: And what's one of our most valuable markets. So to
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: be on a different rate from Australia or Uruguay or Argentina,
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: that's quite significant.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: Are they all on ten?
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: Yeah, those guys are all on ten. So only Brazil
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: and Nicauegra are currently facing higher additional tariffs than New Zealander.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: The mining what would that do to our sales and
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: volumes potentially?
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: Well, I think that would make it very difficult to
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: pass that cost on, you know, so that would be
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: something that farmers and esporders would have to have to
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: absorbit this end. And you know, five percent might not
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: sound like much, but you know, the extra that extra
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: tariff is we're looking at over three hundred million dollars
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: more than we were paying a year ago, assuming that
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: you trade level stayed the same.
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: So that's that includes a TEP. That's the full fifteen
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: percent you mean, not the difference between ten and five. Yeah, yeah, yes, okay,
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: So it's well worth us sending over our diplomatic representations
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: and you know, kicking up a fuss as much as
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: we can. Are you happy with how the government's handled
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: this on your behalf thus far?
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: We Look, it's been a very tricky situation and as
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: everyone knows, quite unpredictable. So look, I think the approach
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: you Zeland had was right, but obviously now is the
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: time to do something. So it's great that the minister's
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: heading up there, and yeah, do you need it to happen?
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: What are you hearing about? What it is that their
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: justification is for it?
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: Look, we haven't heard anything that it was quite a surprise.
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: So you haven't heard any reason for this, okay?
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: And what's your How often are they keeping you updated?
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: Our government? That is?
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: Look, we're in pretty constant contact with our government officials
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: both here in New Zealand but also over in DC.
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: So you know there is a great team over in DC.
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: We've also got stuff over there, so you know it
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: is quite a collective team New Zealand effort.
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: Okay, Kate, appreciate your time this morning. Good luck Kate Eckland,
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: who's been the name New Zealand share with us? Just
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: gone seventeen minutes after five. It's sort of scratched your
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: head stuff, isn't it when you've got a trade surplus. Yes,
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: we have a trade surplus, but it's you know, two
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: for to bugger all to the American Is this just
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: just an excuse, a blanket excuse to take some money
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: off other countries you trade with. It looks like that
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: to me. For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge,
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: listen live to News Talks it be from five am weekdays,
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.