Kate Acland: Beef + Lamb Chair weighs in on New Zealand potentially being hit with US tariffs on beef

Australian beef exporters are being described as ‘lopsided and unfair’ by American farmers. 

Over 20 years, the trade deficit between the two countries is thought to be $45 billion – America is hoping tariffs will fix that.  

Beef + Lamb Chair Kate Acland told Mike Hosking New Zealand is not the target of America's proposed tariffs.

She says the Americans’ concern is over “unfair trading practices”, and New Zealand plays with a really straight bat.  

Acland says there’s no restrictions on American meat coming into New Zealand, our farmers and exports aren’t subsidised, and our exchange rate isn’t manipulated.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So well back here and over there. I mean, where
are we at with us this beef business and tariffs
we've been talking about for the last couple of days.
The Australians have got trouble with the American farmer who
are upset at the one way street on trade. So
where do we are we going to get called up
in any of this beef and land? New Zealand Chair
Kate Ackland's with us. Kate, very good morning to you.
Do you got any idea what's going on? Any more

(00:21):
than anybody else at the moment.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Oh, look, it's still very much too early to know
what we do know. I think as sept the New
Zealand US trade relationships actually really well balanced overall. And
you know, in terms of agricultural trade, yes, we do
send a lot of high quality beef and land to
the Americans, but New Zealand farmers actually buy a lot
of American tractors as well. So we have got really
strong relationships with the US and probably quite different to

(00:46):
the Australian.

Speaker 1 (00:47):
Okay, so the Australians are part of the Americans. Argument
about the Australians is they don't want to and they've
used a whole lot of rules and regulations not to
import American beef. Is that true here or not?

Speaker 2 (00:59):
No, Look, they they are really concerned about what they
call unfair trading practices, and Zealand plays with a really
straight bat. So there's no trade restrictions on American beef
and lamb coming into New Zealand. Our farmer's aren't subsidized,
our exports aren't subsidized, and our exchange rates not manipulated.
So we do have the advantage of playing with a
very straight bat.

Speaker 1 (01:18):
Right, we export one point according to the numbers, I've
got one point thirty seven billion to the US, so
we're booming and we're doing well. Congratulations to us, But
we only bring in thirty one million. Do we bring
in thirty one million because we've got enough of our
own beef or is there some other reason for that.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
We're an exporting nation and we're exporting ninety percent of
the beef and ninety five percent of the land that
we produced, and we're sending it all over the world.
So you know, that's only natural that we're not importing
a whole lot of meat. But in terms of that
overall trade balance, we're actually really balanced.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
Would they see it that way. So, if the American
farmer and the lobby groups are in the ear of
the president, are they concerned whether we buy tractors to
balance out overall trade or are they just arguing their
own corner? And if nobody looks more broadly, they're going
to go Actually, those numbers don't look right, we'll slap
a terrifym.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
Why wouldn't we look, they actually need our imports. And
I was over last month actually in the States at
the National Cataman's Beef Conference, and the conversations were there
were very much they view US as a consistent and
reliable trading partner. They need our lean trim to go
into their hand arders. You know, we're actually good for
the American farmer. So I think you know what's really

(02:30):
clear is that New Zealand is not the target here.
But you know, we're not naive, and if the US
does decide to introduce something that's really bored and would
impact all of their trading partners, then it is pretty
likely that we could be collateral damage. Unfortunately.

Speaker 1 (02:42):
Okay, well we'll wait and see what happens. Kate appreciate
the insight very much. Kate Acklan, who's the Beef and
Lamb New Zealand chair with us this morning.

Speaker 2 (02:49):
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