NZ's superior trade negotiation skills are costing Australian farmers and exporters millions of dollars in lost trade. Aussie horticultural, sheep meat and egg producers have all found themselves at serious disadvantages in export markets as NZ has brokered much better deals for its farmers than Australian negotiators. This year the Kiwis beat Australia to a free trade agreement with China, with tariffs on major horticultural exports reducing to zero within eight years.The Weekly Times also understands just last week China insisted on higher tariffs for Australian produce than it did for NZ produce. NZ can send 12 times more sheep meat to the lucrative EU market than Australia can - thanks to a better quota deal. Sheep Meat Council of Australia president Kate Joseph said Australia's sheep meat access to the EU market was restricted to 18,786 tonnes, while the Kiwi quota is 227,854 tonnes. Ms Joseph said it was "extremely frustrating" that NZ's supply limitations meant sometimes it could not fill its quota, while Australia would have the capacity to do so.
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