They have signed memorandum of understanding as part of an initiative to boost farm business and trading links between New Zealand and the European Union.
The move would deliver major benefits to NZ’s 130,000-visitor event, held near Hamilton each June, and Eurotier’s 160,000-visitor show held in Hannover, Germany, every second year, Fieldays chief executive Peter Nation said.
“This is a collaborative step which will create huge event experience gains for Fieldays’ farming visitors and exhibitors while also helping to attract valuable trade delegations from Europe to NZ,” Nation, speaking from the Fieldays booth on the NZ Trade and Enterprise stand at Eurotier 2016, said.
Fieldays also signed a memorandum with the organisation that runs the Irish Ploughing Championships and associated trade event, which drew 283,000 visitors to County Offaly, Ireland, in September.
In addition to using its new links with those two massive international organisations to improve the way Fieldays operated, Nation said he was already talking to new European trade exhibitors about their future involvement in the NZ show.
“We received a lot of interest during Eurotier and Irish Plough, with the very real potential that separate United Kingdom and European trade pavilions will be added to Fieldays next year,” he said.
The UK contact was with the British Trade and Investment Commission, which took part in Fieldays some years ago and was considering returning next June to further its interest in Australasian business.
The European pavilion was being discussed by Fieldays with DLG, the German Agricultural Society that runs Eurotier.
“NZ may be a long way geographically from the European market but we are the global innovation powerhouse for pastoral farming,” Nation said.
“Wherever you looked at Eurotier 2016 there were technologies and innovations that came out of NZ and which are now on the world stage.
“As such, the future of our industry is exciting.
“We have a big part of play in Europe in the years to come but we can’t do it on your own or by bringing the occasional trade visitor to NZ.
“The real advantage will come by working collaboratively with Eurotier and Irish Plough to draw major European trade delegations to our country.
“That will help the NZ farming economy in general and NZ agricultural manufacturers in particular.”
