August 20, 2025 • 6 mins
We head to Washington DC to catch up with the Minister of Agriculture and Trade to talk tariffs, Saudi Arabia and positive changes to freshwater farm plans.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Waiting patiently on hold. He's a busy man in Washington,
d C. Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd maclay and Todd,
you don't let the grass grow under your feet. How
was Saudi Arabia to start with?
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Yeah, Jamie, Hey, good afternoon, Thanks for having me on
Souday's really good. We're at such a good place with them.
You know, this is a three trillion dollar opportunity that's there.
You know, that's their annual GDP and they like us
a lot. But it's a country that's are so full
of energy and opportunity at the moment, and they're very
very keen on everything we produce in the primary sector
(00:34):
and so very positive, a very very positive meetings, and
we're going to have a bit more some announcements around
that in the coming month or so.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
What do they mainly take from us?
Speaker 2 (00:43):
So, there's a lot of red meat, a lot of
lamb and meat and beef go up there. Fonterra puts
quite quite a bit of dairy product in there. They've
got a processing plant, a small one. But you remember
years ago we had all those arguments and debates about
sort of animals going up there. They don't want that anymore.
They actually just want food. And what they're doing is
(01:05):
pitching themselves. They want companies large and small to come
and join with them and do a bit of processing
of their products there for the rest of the Middle
East market, particularly into Africa, and I just think that
there'll be a lot of opportunity for Kiwi companies there.
I'm leading a trade mission up there later in the
year and it's going to be a very focused one.
It's going to be about putting businesses together to do deals.
(01:28):
But you know, every time we get something that's going
it just means more money in the pockets of our farmers.
And look at the payout forecasts from Frontier today, really good.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
News, absolutely good news. More about that shortly with Matt Boulger.
Who do you get an audience with in Washington, d C.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Well it's not Miley Cyrus. She's not in any of
the meetings that I'll be And I met today with
the Agriculture Secretary, so I suppose that's my equivalent agriculture minister.
And tomorrow with Jameson Greer, the United States Trade Representative,
who again is my counterpart. Tomorrow we will be talking
about the tariff and the harm that does to you
(02:07):
exports and trade on both sides. But today with their
executive it was really good. Is a chance to talk
about agriculture and farming here. You know, their farmers had
many of the same concerns that New Zealand farmers have
had too many roles, too much cost, too much a regulation.
But I did talk to them a lot about Canada,
and you know that we won that case against Canada
around dairy access. We have another issue with Canada over
(02:30):
the way they subsidize milk creating more protein than are
dumping it around the world. And she and I have
agreed are officials to get a look and work together
talk together about whether there is some joint action we
could take against Canada so that they meet their obligations
and they're not dumping product in markets around the world
that are harm in New Zealand farmers and our daily exports.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
So I'm guessing. In fact, I know because I roughly
know the time difference Washington, d C. What is it
seven or eight o'clock at night?
Speaker 2 (02:58):
At eight o'clock and the eight of Knights here on
I don't even know what day it is Wednesday.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
I think it's Wednesday your time, Thursday out times. So
have you been Have you been had a wander around,
gone out for a beer, gone out for a meal.
Have you seen all Trump's the National Guard on display?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Yeah, so no, I haven't been anywhere. We arrived a
sort of fifteen or sixteen our flight straight from the
Middle East and had a shower, iron a shirt and
then went straight to meetings. But driving around the capital
you do see a lot more National Guard than others
in places. But in the areas we are around the
White House and so on, they're just there as part
(03:35):
of the public. And I've not a armed or anything
like that. But I tell you it's looking really really good.
It's the holiday times. There's not many people here. Tomorrow
is the important meeting though. That's with jameson Greia and
that's about the fifteen percent tariff we have on us.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Good on your good luck there. What about the changes announced?
Was it yesterday or this morning on the freshwater farm plans?
You're just going to make it easier, get rid of
a bit of red tape, and good on you.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Yeah, that's right. You know, this has been something that's
been a bane farmers for a long time and it
was put in place. So originally the idea was David
Parker's and poor old Dame you know, kind of had
to follow on with it. I guess we just think
that they had it in the wrong place. There is
no evidence of doing anything other than putting costs on
farmers in New Zeala, making it hard to farm, you know,
showing that the last government didn't trust them, and there
(04:21):
are no environmental outcomes that are good for New Zealand
as a result. So we've taken a very different approach
and it's a much much more light hearted one. We
still have to meet obligation, it's no question about that,
but we're really saying that you know, around your farm plans,
if you're already doing that with your meat processor or
your dairy processor, that's largely enough for us. You shouldn't
have to fill out more forms and do more for
(04:43):
the government. And so you know, we're going to work
with farmers to make sure that they meet their obligations,
that they are sensible and they're not just going to
cost the money. But what we want to do is
get on and continue to produce the world's best, highest quality,
safest food. So we can sell it around the world.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Yeah, well is this correct me if I'm wrong here,
For around eight thousand smaller, lower risk farms, the requirement
for a fresh water farm plan has been scrapped completely.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
So that's right. So it's very much a risk based approach.
So if you think about why the last government was
with almost everything, there was one size fits all and
so and everything we're doing, you know, as risk score
activity increases, then there is more requirement to do certain things,
and so it means there will be parts of New
Zealand where no harm is done. Farmers meet their obligation
(05:32):
and so we want them to get on with it.
But you're also got to remember that almost every farmer
for their meat company, for their dairy company, has obligations
and they have to do plans and provide them to them.
So it's not that nothing's happening, it's just that we
get to recognize that because what they're doing, you know,
with those processes works for us. And then as you
sort of go up the scale of more intensity or
(05:54):
higher risk or attachments that are have greater challenges, there's
more requirements, but they're always going to be set stable
and we are thinking about the cost as opposed to
just the process, and that's the biggest difference between this
government and the labor government.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Well, you can't be accused of not doing your bit
for the farmers of New Zealand. You're working hard for
us all around the world. Thanks for some of your
time today.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Hey, thank you.
Waiting patiently on hold. He's a busy man in Washington,
d C. Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd maclay and Todd,
you don't let the grass grow under your feet. How
was Saudi Arabia to start with?
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Yeah, Jamie, Hey, good afternoon, Thanks for having me on
Souday's really good. We're at such a good place with them.
You know, this is a three trillion dollar opportunity that's there.
You know, that's their annual GDP and they like us
a lot. But it's a country that's are so full
of energy and opportunity at the moment, and they're very
very keen on everything we produce in the primary sector
(00:34):
and so very positive, a very very positive meetings, and
we're going to have a bit more some announcements around
that in the coming month or so.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
What do they mainly take from us?
Speaker 2 (00:43):
So, there's a lot of red meat, a lot of
lamb and meat and beef go up there. Fonterra puts
quite quite a bit of dairy product in there. They've
got a processing plant, a small one. But you remember
years ago we had all those arguments and debates about
sort of animals going up there. They don't want that anymore.
They actually just want food. And what they're doing is
(01:05):
pitching themselves. They want companies large and small to come
and join with them and do a bit of processing
of their products there for the rest of the Middle
East market, particularly into Africa, and I just think that
there'll be a lot of opportunity for Kiwi companies there.
I'm leading a trade mission up there later in the
year and it's going to be a very focused one.
It's going to be about putting businesses together to do deals.
(01:28):
But you know, every time we get something that's going
it just means more money in the pockets of our farmers.
And look at the payout forecasts from Frontier today, really good.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
News, absolutely good news. More about that shortly with Matt Boulger.
Who do you get an audience with in Washington, d C.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Well it's not Miley Cyrus. She's not in any of
the meetings that I'll be And I met today with
the Agriculture Secretary, so I suppose that's my equivalent agriculture minister.
And tomorrow with Jameson Greer, the United States Trade Representative,
who again is my counterpart. Tomorrow we will be talking
about the tariff and the harm that does to you
(02:07):
exports and trade on both sides. But today with their
executive it was really good. Is a chance to talk
about agriculture and farming here. You know, their farmers had
many of the same concerns that New Zealand farmers have
had too many roles, too much cost, too much a regulation.
But I did talk to them a lot about Canada,
and you know that we won that case against Canada
around dairy access. We have another issue with Canada over
(02:30):
the way they subsidize milk creating more protein than are
dumping it around the world. And she and I have
agreed are officials to get a look and work together
talk together about whether there is some joint action we
could take against Canada so that they meet their obligations
and they're not dumping product in markets around the world
that are harm in New Zealand farmers and our daily exports.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
So I'm guessing. In fact, I know because I roughly
know the time difference Washington, d C. What is it
seven or eight o'clock at night?
Speaker 2 (02:58):
At eight o'clock and the eight of Knights here on
I don't even know what day it is Wednesday.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
I think it's Wednesday your time, Thursday out times. So
have you been Have you been had a wander around,
gone out for a beer, gone out for a meal.
Have you seen all Trump's the National Guard on display?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Yeah, so no, I haven't been anywhere. We arrived a
sort of fifteen or sixteen our flight straight from the
Middle East and had a shower, iron a shirt and
then went straight to meetings. But driving around the capital
you do see a lot more National Guard than others
in places. But in the areas we are around the
White House and so on, they're just there as part
(03:35):
of the public. And I've not a armed or anything
like that. But I tell you it's looking really really good.
It's the holiday times. There's not many people here. Tomorrow
is the important meeting though. That's with jameson Greia and
that's about the fifteen percent tariff we have on us.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Good on your good luck there. What about the changes announced?
Was it yesterday or this morning on the freshwater farm plans?
You're just going to make it easier, get rid of
a bit of red tape, and good on you.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Yeah, that's right. You know, this has been something that's
been a bane farmers for a long time and it
was put in place. So originally the idea was David
Parker's and poor old Dame you know, kind of had
to follow on with it. I guess we just think
that they had it in the wrong place. There is
no evidence of doing anything other than putting costs on
farmers in New Zeala, making it hard to farm, you know,
showing that the last government didn't trust them, and there
(04:21):
are no environmental outcomes that are good for New Zealand
as a result. So we've taken a very different approach
and it's a much much more light hearted one. We
still have to meet obligation, it's no question about that,
but we're really saying that you know, around your farm plans,
if you're already doing that with your meat processor or
your dairy processor, that's largely enough for us. You shouldn't
have to fill out more forms and do more for
(04:43):
the government. And so you know, we're going to work
with farmers to make sure that they meet their obligations,
that they are sensible and they're not just going to
cost the money. But what we want to do is
get on and continue to produce the world's best, highest quality,
safest food. So we can sell it around the world.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Yeah, well is this correct me if I'm wrong here,
For around eight thousand smaller, lower risk farms, the requirement
for a fresh water farm plan has been scrapped completely.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
So that's right. So it's very much a risk based approach.
So if you think about why the last government was
with almost everything, there was one size fits all and
so and everything we're doing, you know, as risk score
activity increases, then there is more requirement to do certain things,
and so it means there will be parts of New
Zealand where no harm is done. Farmers meet their obligation
(05:32):
and so we want them to get on with it.
But you're also got to remember that almost every farmer
for their meat company, for their dairy company, has obligations
and they have to do plans and provide them to them.
So it's not that nothing's happening, it's just that we
get to recognize that because what they're doing, you know,
with those processes works for us. And then as you
sort of go up the scale of more intensity or
(05:54):
higher risk or attachments that are have greater challenges, there's
more requirements, but they're always going to be set stable
and we are thinking about the cost as opposed to
just the process, and that's the biggest difference between this
government and the labor government.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Well, you can't be accused of not doing your bit
for the farmers of New Zealand. You're working hard for
us all around the world. Thanks for some of your
time today.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Hey, thank you.
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