DUMPING OF BUTTER

Press, Volume C, Issue 29682, 28 November 1961, Page 19

DUMPING OF BUTTER

N.Z. Stand At Geneva (N-Z. Press Association) MASTERTON, Nov. 27. New Zealand had not been “jockeyed into a marketsharing agreement” at the Geneva discussions on the dumping of butter on the United Kingdom market, Mr A. Linton, chairman of the New Zealand Dairy Production and Marketing Board told the meeting of the Wairarapa dairy section of Federated Farmers yesterday. He said of the 13 countries at the conference New Zealand was the only one which received a clearance over the dumping issue. “Our quantity was not reduced,” he said. "We took a stand of sticking to our shipping programme for the six months from October to March which was made out several months before the conference. “This was for a quantity Of 91.000 tons and we were the only shippers who did not have our programme reduced. "Australia had to reduce her programme to 43,000 tons and South Africa, which proposed to send 15,000 tons of butter to the United Kingdom in that period, had to reduce her exports to 1500 tons,” he said. After March “I don’t know what will happen in the six months after March,” Mr Linton told a questioner, "but I will be happy if we get a similar quota for that period. “I felt we had the support of the United Kingdom Government in this matter. The cumulative effect of this cheap butter was wrecking the United Kingdom market. It was more important to us than most people realised.” The effect of the agreement had stopped the fall in price and had resulted in two rises of 10s per cwt, Mr Linton said. "We have now made a start on a programme of quantitative restrictions on dumped butter which will be of immense help to this country. "If we had not done something the price could have fallen to 200 s per cwt again this year,” he said.