Former Fed Farmers president to be envoy

Former Federated Farmers president Alistair Polson has been appointed as New Zealand's Special Agricultural Trade Envoy, Trade Negotiations Minister Jim Sutton announced today.

Mr Polson's job will be to lobby overseas farmers and farm groups, attend conferences, deliver speeches and encourage foreign media to report New Zealand perspectives.

Mr Sutton said the envoy's role was important in promoting New Zealand's efforts to reform international agricultural trade.

The latest round of World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks were at a critical stage, with several countries stalling on a formula to reduce the level of agricultural subsidies.

"Promoting New Zealand's interests in farm trade is never easy," Mr Sutton said.

"We need to ensure we get alongside key farm lobbies and policy makers overseas."

Mr Polson had excellent credentials and networks for the role, he said.

Mr Polson, from Wanganui, was Federated Farmers president between 1999 and 2002.

Previous agriculture envoys include Brian Chamberlin, Malcolm Bailey and Graham Fraser.

- NZPA