China meat exports to restart

Several thousand tonnes of frozen NZ lamb, mutton and beef languished on Chinese docks earlier this week. Photo / Thinkstock

An agreement has been reached in Beijing last night to ensure New Zealand meat exports to China can resume on a normal basis, starting later today.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy announced the agreement this afternoon, saying "the resolution is comprehensive and will allow normal trade to resume using NZFSA certification, including for product currently in storage, or en route to China."

"This is an important step in resuming trade, now that containers are moving off the wharves and the backlog is clearing."

Guy said that New Zealand and Chinese officials will work together over the next month on new meat certificates which will allow reliable future access for New Zealand meat into China.

"This is a great outcome for the New Zealand meat industry. China is an important market and I am pleased we have been able to find a pragmatic cooperative solution to allow new shipments of meat to begin leaving our shores again" he said.

Mr Guy thanked the meat industry for their patience as well as the Ministry of Primary Industries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the New Zealand Ambassador and his team in Beijing for their work on the matter.