Federated Farmers president Katie Milne. Photo / Supplied
Federated Farmers says it supports efforts by Trade Minister David Parker to take the European Union to task over its handling of early negotiations around a free trade agreement.
"Perhaps through misunderstanding rather than a determined leak of information, we now know the EU made us an excruciatingly
low market access offer," Feds president Katie Milne said.
"It was so insultingly low, I thought they'd made a mistake and put the decimal point in the wrong place".
"Thanks to this 'leak', we are now aware the EU intend to continue to prevent Kiwi farmers from fairly competing in the EU market, while at the same time seeking to impose absurd obligations, such as not allowing New Zealand farmers to call feta cheese by its generic name 'feta'".
Feds believed the EU was attempting to use "geographical indications" to monopolise the use of widespread generic names by international competitors such as New Zealand.
