Mr Walding on stand-by for Brussels

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33694, 18 November 1974, Page 2

Mr Walding on stand-by for Brussels

ffl.Z P.A. Staff Correspondent)

LONDON, November 17.

The Minister of Overseas Trade (Mr Walding) may be on hand when European Common Market Agriculture Ministers discuss New Zealand’s long-awaited dairy export price rise in Brussels this week.

After spending the week-end in London, Mr Walding will decide late tomorrow morning whether to go to the Belgian capital where [the Ministers in the afternoon will begin a two-day meeting.

A meeting of the E.E.C.’s Special Agriculture Committee will be held in the morning to discuss the New Zealand case, and to decide whether it should remain on the agenda for the Ministerial council meeting. The committee last week failed to agree on a recommendation by the Community’s commission — the Common Market cabinet —- that New Zealand should get an 18 per cent rise in the prices of its butter and cheese exports to Britain. Although the reaction was described as “generally favourable,” France is believed to have asked whether the E.E.C. could legally increase New Zealand’s returns under the terms of protocol 18, which governs its dairy exports to Britain. Other nations questioned the basis of calculation for the 18 per cent recommendation, and Britain urged that the rise should be increased to 20 per cent. Failing agreement, the committee put the item provisionally on the Ministers’ agenda'

and arranged tomorrow morning’s meeting to see whether differences could be narrowed. E.E.C. procedures are such that there can be no guarantee the Ministers will get around to the New Zealand case—they have a heavy programme of discussions ahead, including several controversial items on sugar and beef. Mr Walding''can play no part in the meeting, but is said to believe that it might be useful to be on the spot if problems arise in the debate. He remained in close touch with British Government officials and the British Agriculture Minister (Mr Fred Peart) in London over the week-end.

Mr Walding continued to decline any comment on the New Zealand case before the E.E.C., saying it would be “inappropriate and unhelpful” to do so at this stage. It appeared today that if there were firm indications from Brussels that the New Zealand issue would come before the Ministers, Mr Walding would go there to wait “behind the scenes.” If it seems unlikely to come up, he will head for home. The E.E.C. decision is of vital interest to New Zealand, which has been losing money heavily on its dairy exports to Britain because of inflation, since protocol 18 took effect early last year.