Tariff-Free Milk Imports Spark Concerns for Taiwan's Dairy Industry

TaiwanPlus News

Taiwan will start importing tariff-free milk from New Zealand, but many are concerned about the impact it may have on Taiwan's domestic dairy farmers. As milk prices continue to rise in Taiwan, consumers may opt for cheaper imported milk.

Transcript

00:00Keep local milk in Taiwan's schools.

00:06That's the message this group of parents and teachers hope the government will heed, after

00:10suspended a program that provided school kids nationwide with fresh milk from domestic dairy

00:14farms.

00:15They say the change hurts farmers.

00:17Especially now, milk imported tariff-free from New Zealand is making its way into Taiwan.

00:22The new arrangement doesn't come as a surprise.

00:37Taiwan's local dairy industry has had over a decade to prepare for the end of its milk

00:41monopoly, after Taiwan and New Zealand signed a trade deal in 2013.

00:45People within the industry fear the public will favor cheaper New Zealand milk over more

01:01expensive milk produced locally.

01:04An even bigger concern would be a decline in local milk being bought for use in popular

01:07drinks like bubble tea and lattes.

01:10And as milk prices in Taiwan continue to go up, consumers are starting to feel the pinch.

01:14When I first came to Japan, I thought Japanese milk was pretty cheap, so I thought Taiwan's

01:21milk was a bit more expensive.

01:23I don't know, but I think it's more expensive.

01:26I don't drink cheap milk from other countries.

01:29I prefer local milk.

01:31We drink milk for its nutrition, not for its price.

01:36Taiwan has the second most expensive milk in the world, at US$2.95 for a liter of regular

01:42milk.

01:43A liter in New Zealand costs US$1.69, and in the U.S. it's even cheaper, at a little

01:48over a dollar.

01:49Responding to these concerns, Taiwan's agriculture ministry is helping dairy farmers get more

01:54of their milk onto shelves.

01:55They are also looking to partner with drink shops, encouraging them to use more locally-produced

02:00milk and put up signs indicating made-in-Taiwan products.

02:04Farmers in Taiwan say their milk is extra fresh, which is why it has a shorter shelf

02:08life compared to New Zealand's.

02:10But whether the freshness and quality can justify the high cost of Taiwan's milk will

02:14be up for shoppers to decide.

02:16Scott Huang and Chelsea Wu for Taiwan Plus.

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