Seafood New Zealand and Aquaculture New Zealand have been working closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) to understand the suggestion that we have not been taking full advantage of tariff reductions or removals in various free trade agreements (FTAs).
We have spent a lot of time going through trade information and we're pleased to say that investigations have revealed that any problems in this area are relatively minor. In fact, it appears the majority of our seafood exports are entering their markets taking advantage of the benefits the FTAs provide.
There are a small number of exceptions in some specialist product lines (such as extracts and powders) and niche markets, where the preferential treatment hasn't always been claimed. Seafood New Zealand and Aquaculture New Zealand are now making sure relevant exporters have the information they need to enable their importers to take full advantage of the preferential tariff treatment, where it applies.
It is important to clarify that it is the importer that claims the benefit from this, not the exporter. New Zealand exporters may negotiate improved prices from their importing agents, based on the ability to take advantage of our tariff-free status.
