Pacific Farm Leaders To Meet

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31588, 27 January 1968, Page 10

Pacific Farm Leaders To Meet

On Monday a meeting of considerable importance to New Zealand—in particular its farmers—will begin in Hawaii, writes Mr J. G. Pryde, general secretary of Federated Farmers.

Hawaii was selected as the venue because it is regarded as a central point for the Pacific Group member countries of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers who will be attending. Representatives will

come from Canada, the United States of America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. These five countries, the main agricultural trading countries of the Pacific area, will meet to discuss, first the advisability of setting up, on a permanent basis, a PanPacific group of I.F.A.P. If they decide to establish such a group, they will be following in the footsteps of the European members of 1.F.A.P., the North American members and member countries in the Mediterranean area. Each Of these groups of members has its own meetings from time to time to discuss matters of special interest to itself. The groups use the gatherings to exchange views and evolve policies which will be of assistance to their respective farmers. It is not without significance that the American, Farm Bureau Federation, the mighty U.S. farm organisation, will be one of the American groups attending the Hawaii meeting. Although one of the founder members of I.F.A.P. it withdrew on doctrinal grounds some years ago. However, after a series of discussions in which the present World president of 1.F.A.P., a New Zealander, Mr E. McCallum, of Hawera, has played a leading role, the bureau, at its last annual meeting, reviewed its position, and on January 1 it rejoined the ranks of I.F.A.P. The timing of this can be interpreted as indicative of the importance the bureau attaches to the Hawaii meeting.

The agenda for the Hawaii meeting is a wide-ranging one, and the executive committee of 1.F.A.P., in authorising the meeting in Honolulu, recommended that the primary purpose should be to consider “status, trends, and possibilities” of trade in agricultural produce within this region. This immediately affects New Zealand and it is not surprising, therefore, that the New Zealand member organisation of 1.F.A.P., Federated Farmers of New Zealand, will play a prominent part in the meeting’s deliberations. The five participating countries represent not only a major part of the trade in agricultural produce in the Pacific region, but also in the world scene. Japan and the United States are major importers of New Zealand produce. The Japanese delegation will be a large and important one, and its presence will provide an opportunity for the other member countries to discuss the future of agricultural trade with this important nation. Japan is of vital importance not only to New Zealand, but to other countries such as Australia and the United States. For instance, Japan purchases practically all her. massive imports of feed grains .from the United States. Japan, the United States, and Canada

are major importers of New Zealand meat and dairy produce. In 1966 Japan imported 26,000 tons of non-fat dry milk, 20,000 tons of cheese, and 8000 tons of butter. Last year these imports increased substantially, and in butter alone there was a 100 per cent increase. This trend in dairy and meat imports is of great significance to New Zealand, especially in the light of developments in Europe, where the E.E.C.’s agricultural policy is having an increasingly restrictive and harmful effect on the trade of the temperate zone exporting countries such as New Zealand.

During the meeting, the representative of the five countries will discuss important recent political developments affecting world agricultural trade. These will include the implications of the recently concluded Kennedy Round of trade talks, a tightening of restrictions on importation of dairy produce into the United States of America, and the United Kingdom’s application to join the E.E.C. Other items on the agenda include the opportunities for increased participation of farmers' co-opera-tive federations in transpacific trade and the ways in which the five countries’ farm organisations can assist in programmes of technical and economic aid to developing countries in the Pacific area. In summary, we can say that the Hawaii meeting will provide the first opportunity for farm leaders from the five countries to confer on a wide range of subjects affecting their members. Naturally, agreement will not be reached on all issues. However, it seems certain that the leaders are resolved to strive to secure agreement on some of the major issues affecting farmers in the Pacific Basin area. They hold the view that if farmers and their organisations cannot reach some agreement at international level, then it is virtually impossible to expect that their respective governments will be able to do so; The developing situation in the European agricultural scene has provided an additional reason for farmers in the Pacific area to meet to devise ways and means of overcoming the problems that are resulting, and will intensify, from the E.E.C.’s agricultural policies. Finally, it will be a meeting to give farm leaders in the Pacific Basin area an opportunity to get to know each other better, and, in informal discussions, to acquaint themselves with each other’s problems.