7. Question No. 7—Trade and Export GrowthHon TODD McCLAY (National—Rotorua) to the Minister for Trade and Export GrowthQuestion No. 7—Trade and Export Growth7. Hon TODD McCLAY (National—Rotorua) to the Minister for Trade and Export Growth: Will he advise the Prime Minister to instruct our free trade agreement negotiators to keep talking if the offer from the European Union for dairy and meat exporters is not commercially meaningful for New Zealand rather than conclude the agreement in Brussels this week?Hon PHIL TWYFORD (Minister of State for Trade and Export Growth) on behalf of the Minister for Trade and Export Growth: New Zealand seeks the best possible overall outcome from the free-trade agreement (FTA) negotiations which includes commercially meaningful outcomes for our exporters including those in the dairy and meat sectors and it's worth noting that negotiations on our FTA with the European Union are not yet concluded. Hon Todd McClay: Can he confirm as widely reported in the media that the EU offer for meat and dairy is worse than before negotiations started and is not acceptable to New Zealand?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: No I can't confirm that. The offer on the table now from the EU has progressed since 2020.Hon Todd McClay: Is it the case that the current EU offer is for small quotas for dairy and meat exports with high-end quota tariffs and would mean that New Zealand dairy and meat would not be competitive in the EU market?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: No I can't confirm that but what I can confirm is that our trade negotiations in Brussels right now—the team that's there assisted by the Minister and the Prime Minister—are fighting for the best-possible deal for New Zealand including for our major export sectors.Hon Todd McClay: Isn't it the case as the Minister said in December last year that New Zealand has agreed the EU's request for geographical indicators meaning we couldn't produce our export foods named Parmesan or Gouda or Edam or Feta for instance and that we haven't received any commercially meaningful gains for dairy meat exports in return?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: It's well known that the European Union will not sign free-trade agreements that don't include outcomes on geographical indicators. But I say to the member that our negotiating team will not sign a free-trade agreement that does not significantly advance the trading position of New Zealand including in our major export sectors.Hon Todd McClay: Is he aware that the EU has publicly consulted on banning New Zealanders using the name Kiwi Latina and will the New Zealand Government agree to this restriction as part of an FTA?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well that's for the EU to comment on; it's not our position right now in the middle of delicate negotiations to comment on their position. I'll just repeat for the member's sake again that it's necessary in any negotiations with the EU on an FTA these days to engage on the question of geographical indicators but we're interested in what the total package delivers for New Zealand including for our major export sectors.Hon Todd McClay: Does he agree the success of any FTA that New Zealand signs is judged on increased market access especially for dairy and meat exports and will he therefore commit to not concluding negotiations with the European Union until a commercially meaningful offer for dairy and meat has been agreed?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well I can tell the member again that we will not agree an FTA that doesn't include commercially meaningful outcomes for dairy and meat exporters in New Zealand. But the EU FTA encompasses a lot more than that that will be valuable for our economy moving into the future.