Irish and EU sheep farmers are concerned that the sector may be sold out in trade negotiations currently taking place between the EU and New Zealand.

The Irish Farmers Journal understands that some of the proposals currently being considered include increasing New Zealand’s existing tariff-free sheepmeat quota of 228,254t by up to 40,000t, with this phased in over 15 years.

The move would leave EU sheep farmers at the mercy of higher volumes of New Zealand sheepmeat potentially entering the market and makes little sense, given that New Zealand currently only fills 50% of its EU quota.

In recent years, New Zealand has diverted a growing percentage of its sheepmeat exports, which total almost 400,000t, to China, while exports to the US are also growing. However, this could be reversed, with the EU remaining an attractive high-value market.

“Sell-out or a sacrifice”

Reacting to the leaked figures reported this week by Brussels-based publication AgraFacts, IFA sheep chair Seán Dennehy said: “With Brexit negotiations on a knife-edge and the UK such a major player in the sheepmeat sector on the EU market and also as the main import destination for New Zealand lamb, it would be madness for EU negotiators to make any offer to New Zealand at this time in the EU/NZ trade negotiations.”

It would be madness for EU negotiators to make any offer to New Zealand at this time in the EU/NZ trade negotiations

He described any attempt to do so as a “sell-out or a sacrifice of the sector for benefits in other trade areas”.

He also insists that the trade negotiations have to ensure that the traditional historic volumes of sheepmeat imported into the UK from New Zealand remain with the UK on their exit from the EU.

This practice would see the current tariff-free quota halve between the UK and the EU.

Dennehy said: “New Zealand already has more access to the valuable EU single market than any other country, including EU member states, without paying any taxes and without meeting EU standards on key issues like traceability [electronic identification] and strict environmental controls.”