Assurance on exports

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33933, 28 August 1975, Page 12

Assurance on exports

An assurance was given yesterday that the future of New Zealand’s agricultural trade with Britain would be well represented in planning any future agricultural policy for the Common Market. The visiting British Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade (Mr Eric Deakins), said that Britain would be fighting hard on New Zealand’s behalf to protect our agricultural exports. Speaking at a luncheon in Christchurch yesterday, Mr Deakins said that if there was a new common agricultural policy. Britain would be in on the ground floor, pushing her point of view.

“We shall be keeping very much in touch with you during negotiations and you can count on active co-oneration from Britain,” he said. There was no doubt that the tariff on New Zealand lamb was an obstruction. Mr Deakins said. It was something that the British would lik<= to see abolished. Britain wished to expand her two-wav trade with New Zealand, and British industry’ was now more competitive than it had been for some vears, as far as price and delivery went, Mr Deakins said. "I have come to New Zealand to assure people that membership of the E.E.C. does not make any difference at all to our two-way trade." Mr Deakins said that the present Government was working hard to overcome the serious rate of inflation, and balance of payments. A "mv pav nolicv to limit nav rises shou’d bring the inflation rate down to single fig-”-es bv the end of next year. The mte recorded for Julv was 25 per cent.

Good progress was also being made with Britain’s balance of pavments. Mr Deakins said that the measures the British Government was taking to restructure industry would put right the problems which had plagued British industry since World War IT.