Hon Jim Anderton

Minister of Agriculture, Minister for Biosecurity, Minister of Fisheries, Minister of Forestry
Associate Minister of Health,
Associate Minister for Tertiary Education,
Minister Responsible for Public Trust

Progressive Leader

26 February 2007 Media Release

Dairy quotas and export rights under discussion

Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton, today opened a public consultation process on how future export rights to regulated dairy markets should be allocated.

"Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) have been having preliminary discussions with the main dairy processors. The next step is to formally consult dairy industry stakeholders on a number of potential policy options," Jim Anderton said.

Regulated dairy markets were established when the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act 2001 (the DIRA) was enacted. They operate where importing countries have country-specific tariff quotas for New Zealand product, such as certain cheeses to the United States or cheese and butter to the European Union. Under the DIRA, the New Zealand Dairy Board (a wholly owned subsidiary of Fonterra) holds exclusive access to these markets for fixed periods.

"These fixed periods expire progressively between mid-2007 and 2010,so new policy will need to be in place for their ongoing allocation. I propose to introduce legislation to the House by the middle of this year to amend the DIRA, with a view to those amendments coming into force before the end of this year," said Jim Anderton.

The Government proposes to provide for short-term regulation by way of Orders in Council made under the DIRA in its current form.

Interested parties who have not already received a copy of the consultation letter are able to access it on the MAF website: www.maf.govt.nz/mafnet/consultation.htm

The closing date for submissions is Monday 26 March 2007.

Dairy Quota Markets Consultation
MAF Policy
PO Box 2526
Wellington

ENDS

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