For dairy farmer Aaron Thomas and his wife Vanessa the weekend marked the dawn of a potentially bright new future as the long-awaited China-Australia Free Trade Agreement finally came into force.

More than a decade in the making, the deal is expected to deliver immediate benefits to exporters across the country.

The deal is expected to deliver immediate benefits to exporters across the country. Credit:Louie Douvis

From now, more than 85 per cent of Australia's goods exported to China – worth about $86 million last year – will enter duty free. That will rise to 96 per cent when the FTA is fully implemented.

The deal is expected to save exporters hundreds of millions of dollars in extra tariff payments next year alone.