AUSTRALIAN QUOTA

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29778, 22 March 1962, Page 18

AUSTRALIAN QUOTA

Surplus Now Expected <N,Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) MELBOURNE, March 21. Australia, with a quota of 62,000 tons, expected to have a surplus of about 20,000 tons during the 12 months of re. stricted butter imports to Britain, the Melbourne “Herald’s” agricultural writer said today. Although the British decision was not a shock, Australian negotiators had hoped to get a quota of a few thousand tons higher, he said. The quota had been based on Australia’s share of the British market in the past seven years. An initial quota of 41,300 tons was imposed on Australia for the last six months, from September to March.

The “Herald” writer said New Zealand had come out of the latest quota fairly well. She had expected to have 160,000 tons available for the British market for the 12 months and had been awarded a quota of 156,000 tons.

“The Australian dairy industry sees one good feature of the extension of the quotas,” he said. “It believes the quota will stabilise British butter prices at a reasonable level for another year.” When quotas were first imposed last September the price of Australian butter in Britain rose from 247 s a cwt., to 282 s and has held this level.

The chairman of the Australian Dairy Produce Board, Mr E. G. Roberts, said today that the board did not expect having to dump any of the 20,000 tons displaced from Britain by the quota. The board had plans to dispose of most of the surplus, but could not disclose them now, he said. So far as is known the board's plans do no-t include a drop in the Australian home price of butter, which is now 5s a lb. It is almost certain, however, that the board will have to accept lower prices for the surplus butter, although it may not be disposed of in the form of butter.