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Part of the Farmer Group Rural Newspapers Covering Victoria Published since 1984
MAY, 2014 PAGES 4-5
Inside the fence
PAGES 10-11
Education
NATURAL SHORTAGE
OWNER and director of Beechworth Honey Jodie Goldsworthy said this year’s honey production is estimated to only be about half the usual national honey yield due to the hot weather conditions, fire and drought. See page 8 for full story.
37 Rowan Street, Wangaratta 3677
$1 at newsagents PAGES 18-19
Water management and irrigation
Free trade deal sours dairy taste Beef exporters, canned fruit producers and wine exports to benefit from tariff cuts THE dairy industry believes the recently announced JapanAustralia Economic Partnership Agreement (JAEPA) that has cut tariffs on beef, canned food and wine exports has failed to deliver much respite to the dairy sector. As part of the deal, tariffs on beef exports will drop from 38.5 per cent to 19.5 per cent, with immediate cuts to tariffs on canned fruit and vegetables also taking place. Announcing the agreement, which has been in negotiation for more than seven years, during the first leg of his North Asian trip with Japanese prime
BY JODIE FLEMING
jfleming@ nenews.com.au
minister Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said that the historic agreement was “good for the economy, good for jobs, good for farmers and good for consumers” – but the dairy sector begs to differ. United Dairyfarmers of Victoria (UDV) is “extremely disappointed” at what it said was a lost opportunity to secure a better trade deal with Japan.
UDV president Tyran Jones said that dairy farmers currently paid $116 million a year in import tariffs on $511 million of processed dairy products going into Japan, equal to almost a quarter of the value of Australia’s total dairy trade to Japan. “We understand that all we’re getting out of this free trade agreement (FTA) is a few million dollars of tariff relief at best,” Mr Jones said. “Japan is a huge market for us, with 130,000 tonnes of Australian dairy produce hitting its shores each year. Continued page 13
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