4. Facilitating agricultural market access
This category provides information which will assist in developing and implementing policies which help to facilitate the access of New Zealand's agricultural products, excluding horticulture, to overseas markets. Trading opportunities for agricultural products are affected by many distortions. These include not only the more direct obstructions to access such as tariffs and non-tariff measures (e.g. sanitary and technical barriers to trade, administration of tariff quotas) but also the use of export subsidies and domestic support policies to assist competing producers. Maximising agricultural market access is achieved by:
- Maintaining and improving market access opportunities.
- Reducing trade distortions.
- Ensuring that the non-tariff measures adopted by other countries are aligned with international commitments and obligations.
- Minimising potential barriers to trade that could be raised e.g. negative perceptions of New Zealand's farming systems.
Research activities are likely to include:
- Determining effective domestic farming practices (e.g. animal welfare, land management issues) to minimise negative international perceptions and meet internationally-agreed obligations (e.g. commitments to the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Framework Convention on Climate Change).
- Analysing and modelling of scenarios related to trade liberalisation. The Uruguay Round of the WHO created a number of new mechanisms affecting agricultural trade (e.g. tariff quotas and special agricultural safeguard). The impact of these new mechanisms and the various reduction commitments made must be analysed to adequately prepare for the next round of agricultural negotiations.
- Analysing how our trading partners determine sanitary and technical standards. This information will assist New Zealand to develop strategies to attack unjustifiable trade restrictions.
The animal welfare proposals covered under this category have been separated out into the combined chapter eleven for ease of access.
4.1 AMA 100
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| Programme Goal: | To provide MAF with an analysis of the changing regulatory regime of the EU horticultural sector and the implications of the new regime for New Zealand. |
Objective 1
| Objective Title: | Aims and context of reforms |
| Research Leader: | Associate Professor Martin Holland |
Description:
Analysis of official documentation and academic literature supported by semi-structured interviews of industry players and regulators to establish aims, context and origin of reform and compare/contract differences and effects of reforms with previous regime.
Objective 2
| Objective Title: | Stakeholders and interests |
| Research Leader: | Kwame Mfodwo |
Description:
Identification of main stakeholders (EU and elsewhere) affected by reforms and documentation of implications for stakeholders and possible changes in strategy and behaviour of identified stakeholders over 3-5 year horizon.
Objective 3
| Objective Title: | Impacts of New Zealand and New Zealand responses |
| Research Leader: | Martin Holland and Richard Le Heron |
Description:
Exploring with industry players and regulators in New Zealand the range of implications and responses to stakeholder interests and behaviour.
4.2 AMA 101
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| Programme Goal: | To recommend options for transparent queueing process for market access applications and to analyse issues arising from those options. |
Objective 1
| Objective Title: | Review Literature |
| Research Leader: | Brian Bell |
Description:
Literature on the practices of NZ's trading partners on queueing processes will be reviewed. Much of the information will be sourced from MAF's counterpart organisations offshore. The review will focus on; description of processes adopted; criteria used including treatment of risk and economic cost; timeframes for processing applications; transparency; charging regimes; consistency with the obligations of the SPS Agreement; conformation with the principles of the Agreement; operational issues; and policy implications.
Objective 2
| Objective Title: | Assess current practices |
| Research Leader: | Brian Bell |
Description
Consult with key industry stakeholders to assess the practical implications of the policies as implemented by NZ's major trading partners. We will record their expectations as to what rules are reasonable as a service user and taxpayer. Organisations to be consulted include; meat companies; dairy companies; Zespri International; ENZA; HEA exporters; MAF Policy; MAF RA; Tradenz; and MFAT.
Objective 3
| Objective Title: | Analyse information and report |
| Research Leader: | Brian Bell |
Description
Based on the review of literature and industry consultations, a succinct report will be prepared for MAF.
4.3 AMA 111
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| Programme Goal: | To develop a modelling capability incorporating bilateral trade flows and country specific policy arrangements for assessing dairy policy reform options for the 1999 WTO negotiations on Agriculture. |
Objective 1
| Objective Title: | To build a model of world dairy markets |
| Research Leader: | David Blanford |
Description:
The development of a simulation model of world dairy markets, incorporating bilateral trade flows and country specific policy arrangements linked to a wider existing agricultural trade model.
Contact for Enquiries
Farm Monitoring Programme Manager
Monitoring and Evaluation
MAF Policy
PO Box 2526
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Phone: +64 4 894 0623
Fax: +64 4 894 0741
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