Carbon footprints, life cycle analysis, food miles – global trade trends and market issues

Abstract

Historically trade policy has been one of the major factors affecting NZ exports. This is still important with NZ restricted by quotas especially for access into high value markets. Moreover, other potential markets for NZ have been affected by the competition from subsidised exports. The EU (European Union) has recently announced it is going to, even without the completion of current Doha round of the WTO (World Trade Organisation), remove export subsidies. This has huge potential for our products. However, a great threat to our access especially into the high value markets is the growing concern about the environment. In particular the issue of climate change has grown in importance as seen through the application of the Kyoto Protocol and issues such as “food miles”. This paper outlines some of these threats. Whilst this concentrates upon the UK and EU markets there is growing evidence that this is not just an issue for those markets. Other markets are also showing increasing concern about these factors.