New Zealand welcomes lifting of US tariffs on US$1.25 billion in food exports, including beef
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The products represent around 25 per cent of New Zealand’s exports to the US.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: PEXELS
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WELLINGTON - New Zealand welcomed the United States’ announcement that it would remove additional tariffs on a range of New Zealand agricultural products, including beef, offal and kiwi fruit, but said it would like to see all the additional US tariffs on New Zealand goods removed.
US President Donald Trump on Nov 14 removed tariffs he had imposed on more than 200 food products, including beef, amid consumer concerns about rising US grocery prices.
The products represent around 25 per cent of New Zealand’s exports to the US and are worth roughly NZ$2.21 billion (S$1.62 billion) annually, according to the New Zealand government.
“The US remains an important trade partner for New Zealand and the decision to lift these tariffs is a step in the right direction and will be welcomed by exporters who have faced months of uncertainty and higher costs,” New Zealand’s trade minister, Todd McClay, said in a statement released late on Nov 16.
He said it was only a partial rollback and the broader reciprocal tariff framework continues to create cost and uncertainty for the country’s exporters.
Mr McClay said he would continue to make the case that New Zealand’s trading relationship with the US is balanced and that the additional reciprocal tariffs on other New Zealand exports should also be removed. REUTERS
