Review Of Australian Meat Agreement Sought

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28491, 22 January 1958, Page 15

Review Of Australian Meat Agreement Sought

(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright;

SYDNEY, January 21. Full-scale talks will be held this year to review sections of Australia’s meat marketing agreement with the United Kingdom, and Austalia is likely to seek several concessions, according to Informed sources in Sydney. The location of the talks has not yet been decided. British and Australian officials will meet to discuss prices for Australian beef itnd mutton exported to the United Kingdom and to review other aspects of the agreement. The sources said Australia was likely to make an intensive effort to have its free quota of beef increased, to keep alive certain markets which might be very useful to Australia in the future. Asian Markets Trade sources said Asian markets, such as Japan, were readymade for Australian beef, particularly lower grade meat which would not be over-welcome on United Kingdom markets. The assistant manager of the Australian Meat Board. Mr R. W. Mitchell, said today no official reply had yet been received to a board request made to the United Kingdom in November that Australia’s free quota of beef be increased beyond 15,000 tons a year. Mr Mitchell said the board had made the request on the ground

that unfavourable conditions in Australia threatened to cause many cattle to be turned off properties. However, informed sources said British trade authorities were very unlikely to agree to an increase in the free quota.