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http://www.asahi.com/business/update/1226/TKY201012260264.html

Major New Zealand dairy company says, “No. 1 concern is the opening up of the US dairy market.”  

December 27, 2010, 9:13

Mr. Ken Geard, Fonterra. Photo by Takano at Auckland.

Ken Geard, a trade policy consultant at the world’s prominent dairy company Fonterra Cooperative Group (New Zealand) said in the interview with Asahi Shimbun Newspaper regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement that, the most concerning matter for New Zealand is whether United States proceeds to open its market on dairy products or not. 

In the United States, opposition to the free trade of sugar and dairy goods are strong and voices are emerging in New Zealand, where the TPP secretariat is situated, that if dairy goods are not included, the agreement should not be signed. Mr Geard said, “If dairy goods were excluded from the subject of lowering the tariff, many countries including the future partners will start to object to various products, denying the high standard of the Agreement to exist”, implying that the United States’ attitude may affect the whole negotiation.

As for the attitude of Japan, he said, “The aging farming population and the permanently high price are the problems even before the free trade discussion. It may be time the structure needs a reform”, suggesting that opening up the agriculture market is inevitable in order to join TPP. (by Takano, translation by Miyake)