MARGARINE – BUTTER WAR

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32117, 13 October 1969, Page 10

MARGARINE - BUTTER WAR

(N.Z.P.A. Staff Correspondent) SYDNEY, October 9: The struggle between the makers of butter and margarine in Australia is raging fiercely again, this time in Tasmania and Queensland. Despite a blast of advertising interests in by magazine interests in newspapers and on radio and television in Tasmania, the State's Liberal Government seems determined to ' introduce regulations to ban colouring and flavouring additives in cooking margarine. In Queensland this week workers from two margarine companies marched through Brisbane streets to protest against similar proposed regulations.

However, it appears the Queensland Government may drop the ban in favour of a compromise.

Tasmania’s Minister of Agriculture (Mr Bill Beattie) announced on Tuesday that draft regulations banning colouring and flavouring additives would be discussed finally by Cabinet next week and submitted to the party for consideration. But he warned that he did not expect any changes to be made in the proposed legisla-

tion before its Introduction to Parliament. The Australian Margarine Manufacturers’ Association has poured thousands of dollars into a publicity campaign in Tasmania aimed at reversing the

Government’s plans. The association has paid for full-page advertisements in Tasmanian daily newspapers to put margarine’s case to the consumers. One advertisement featured a butter knife and warned: “The Tasmanian Government is about to use this to stab your freedom of choice in the back.” It told readers that , the Government was about to wield the knife against the margarine . industry “and against your right to buy the product in the appetising form your prefer it.”

Tasmania dairy interests hit back. One of their advertisements declared: “We advertise butter solely on its build-in merits and create no fictitious qualities. We compete among ourselves for your custom. We don’t hide anything. We have nothing to hide.

The Margarine Association’s executive director, Mr Ben Dawson, a former Australian trade commissioner in Auckland, planned the Tasmainian campaign and has also been fighting for margarine in Queensland. He appears to have had more success in the northern State.

There, observers say, the largarine-butter controversy

may end in compromise—a clear and distinct labelling of cooking margarine. This would show clearly that it was cooking margarine and reveal its actual contents. In return the Government might drop its plan to legislate against colouring and flavouring additives. The Queensland Premier (Mr Jo Bjelke-Petersen) has had talks with both margarine makers and dairymen and has announced that the Government soon would make a clearcut decision.

A deputation from the 400 margarine workers who protested the proposed legislation this week met the Primary Industries Minister and after talks with him one union official expressed confidence that the Government would not proceed with legislation. Observers say that if the proposed compromise is accepted the Government will have to decide whether to legislate on labelling or accept the word of cookingmargarine makers.