New Zealand have continued to progress their free trade negotiations with the European Union.
In late December 2018 the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade announced a public consultation on the European Union’s proposed list of product names it wants protected as geographical indications in New Zealand for exclusive use by European producers.
The release of these lists pose major concerns for Australian wine producers as well as the broader international wine industry. Among the issues include the use of a broad range of grape varieties, common English words and terms that do not indicate geographical location. Not including the broader food lists, the list for wine alone contains 1760 proposed GIs.
WFA will review this list and are expecting to provide an extensive response to the consultation.
