Producer Board Methods Attacked

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31411, 3 July 1967, Page 1

Producer Board Methods Attacked

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, June 2.

The New Zealand Bureau of Importers, dissatisfied with the selling and promotion of many New Zealand primary products, seeks a public inquiry into the producer boards and their methods. _

The president of the bureau (Mr J. Hall) today claimed that the boards, with a monopoly of the salt of primary products, us ed “inadequate methods.”

“The bureau considers that a much greater return should be forthcoming if different methods were employed and private enterprise was allowed to compete with the top-heavy marketing commission,” said Mr Hall.

Butter, cheese, milk powder, casein, apples and pears were prohibited exports unless sold through the various boards, he said. “This we maintain is grossly unfair and is causing the country a terrific loss in revenue.”

Criticising, in particular, cheese sales to Japan, Mr Hall said that the bureau was concerned that New Zealand cheese products on the Japanese market were not identified as coming from this country.

“We understand that the Dairy Board here studied the requirements of the Japanese cheese market for the next 10 years and that the quantities required are staggering.” But the biggest selling cheese in Japan was branded as Australian, advertised as Australian and because of the consumer demand for its brand name could not be pushed out of the market. "We strongly believe that New Zealand must follow this example and have the origin of our cheese identifiable by the Japanese consumer. “Any inquiries made to the board and to the Minister have always resulted in the reply that because we are selling so many thousand tons, the present method of selling must be the best for the country. “This to us is a very poor attitude to take and a defeatist one,” said Mr Hall. Mr Hall said that because many New Zealand importers represented overseas producer marketing boards he felt they were fully competent to criticise constructively the methods used by New Zealand boards.