WORLD-WIDE FOOD AGREEMENTS

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30106, 15 April 1963, Page 8

WORLD-WIDE FOOD AGREEMENTS

British Farmers Seek N.Z.

Support For Plan

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, April 14.

A world food programme which wyuld reconcile food, farming and trade policies within an international structure is being put to the next conference of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers.

The programme has been put forward as an alternative to British membership of the European Economic Community by the National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales, whose; president, Mr Harold Woollfey, arrived in New Zealand on Saturday to seek the support of farmers’ organisations and producer boards.

He and his economic adviser, Mr Asher Winegarten, will spend a week in New Zealand discussing marketing with producer boards and possibly with the Government.

Mr Woolley said that the proposed farm and food plan was based on the broad concept of establishing international commodity agreements.

“This would be in the best interests not only of producers, consumers and industrialists in the United Kingdom. but also of the primary producers in the Commonwealth and other major foodexporting countries." said Mr Woolley. The plan advocated by Mr Woolley envisages the expansion of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, now embracing the European Economic Community, the European Free Trade Area, the United States and Canada, to include Australia, New Zealand, and the Argentine to bring together the world’s main trading countries in temperate agricultural products. The enlarged organisation would develop the principle of annual reviews of farm production, price and trading policies, arising from which it would make recommendations with an obligation on member countries to take action which would enable agreed objectives to be attained. Participating countries would be encouraged to negotiate world commodity agreements for the basic food products entering world trade Mr Woolley said that multilateral agreements would have

to be strengthened or worked out for cereals, sugar, dairy produce, and beef, with more limited agreements for pigmeat. eggs, mutton and lamb. Limiting Production There would be an obligation on both exporting and importing countries to formulate their food and marketing policies to meet their international obligations. The plan provides that any curb on production arising from limitations of markets should be shared by all suppliers. whether in Britain or in the other participating countries. “Through international agreements, the United Kingdom Government would seek to achieve a fair balance between the interests of home producers and those of overseas suppliers and to formulate its national policy accordingly. But we should expect others to do likewise,” said Mr Woolley. “It is necessary to have a strong body of opinion behind the plan,” said Mr Woolley. “I don't think that we should leave the whole matter to the initiative of governments alone. It is our livelihood that is at stake in this matter.”

He said • that the communique issued after the Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ conference in September favoured the making of international commodity agreements. “We are putting forward revolutionary ideas, but governments have already said

that the agreements are desirable.” he said.

Asked what the plan would have for the New Zealand farmer as a most efficient producer. Mr Woolley commented: “I don't think we should look at the terms of the British farmer versus the New Zealand farmer. The British farmer has a less congenial climate than here and we have high costs. We recognise that we are in th 14 job together. You have to have your markets and we have to have ours. We recognise that New Zealand farming is efficient.” “We in Britain see—and New Zealand is equally conscious of it—that technical progress in agriculture is proceeding at such a rate in the developed countries that it is creating a problem in which more and more food is chasing a relatively inelastic market.” said Mr Woolley. “You are t ying to expand your markets in the Far East and in the United States and this is a desirable thing to do; but the underlying problem is that the developed nations are producing more than they effectively sell while the world’s popu lation is suffering from a shortage of food that it is unable to buy. “If the world economy is to be maintained and made more prosperous, there will have to be an expansion in demand.” he said. The task had not been tackled internationally on anything like the scale needed, though the .Americans had done a great deal to distribute surplus food So that such help should not disrupt the economies of nations depending on foodexporting for their livelihood. it was essential that such surplus disposals should be part of a fully-integrated international policy. “It should not be done just ad hoc by individual nations. We must have regard to the effect that it will have on the receiving nations. It must be done in a way acceptable to them.” he said.

Fear of ‘‘Regression’’

The present in Britain of deficiency payments to bridge the gap between prices and standard prices was “eminently and absolutely sound.” Mr Woolley said “We are concerned that we may be entering a period of regression in agricultural prosperity. It could happen If the r'gr «sion developed into depression, thert it is very proi -ble, some might say certain, that it would be followed not very far behind by a general economic depression. None of us want to see repetition of what happened some 30 years ago,” said Mr Woolley. “We believe that our interests are best served by being mindful of the general interest That is our main purpose in coming here to discuss the problems with the representatives of New Zealand farmers,” he aided.