Farmers' income talks making some progress

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33938, 3 September 1975, Page 2

Farmers ' income talks making some progress

( From

OLIVER RIDDELL)

\\ ELLINGTON, September 2. Federated Farmers and the Government are making progress towards agreement on what is a sufficient income for farmers in the next 12 months, but no final scheme has been agreed upon. The leaders of the federation’s meat and wool section met the Minister of Agriculture (Mr Moyle) today to discuss the progress made in talks held- between Ministry of Agriculture officials and federation executive staff during the last two weeks. • Mr Moyle said that the discussions had been about whether a gap existed be-) tween farmers’ incomes, and I

iwhat was sufficient and, if a (gap existed, how it could be : I filled; 5) The discussions can go no; further at this stage because; ' the meat exporters have not) " announced their lamb scheLdule and the Meat Board has -(not announced its minimum .(price, ’ Average farmers “There must be people' (above the average and below I .(the average, and we, as a Government, must direct our) , attention to those people' , who are good farmers yet , who are below the average,” , Mr Moyle said. “This would rule out ; blanket across-the-board assistance, but the Government will have to consider selective assistance if farmjers’ incomes do not achieve (the level we want, to assure adequate levels of investment in agriculture.” The chairman of the federation’s meat and wool section (Mr T. G. McNab) said that the discussions had been generally about incomes and costs, but the Minister had (given no commitment. The officials, and executive j staff, had been discussing the (figures needed to provide suf-; ficient investment, sufficient.! (net _ incomes for farmers.'

; .maintenance, and levels of' ; growth, and had reached (general agreement on these.; • “We cannot see the lamb ; market’s returning the prices .Ito farmers that the Minister) (wants, to achieve sufficiency. ;and we had hoped to make, more progress on defining the (gap between incomes and suf-! ficiency than we made at this (meeting,” Mr McNab said. ; “The Minister is still very! ; keen to bring farmers’ in(comes up to a sufficient level ; (by Reserve Bank borrowing,” (he said. “Most farmers - do not jwpnt this. They will probablv accept some form of price smoothing, but if there is a gap between prices and sufficient incomes thev do not; want to borrow to* fill it.” Mr McNab conceded that everything now depended on. the lamb price, but added, that the Minister had agreed) that the Government should) press the British Government; for a further waiver of the): final stage of its lamb levy. ■ Lamb price The talks have achieved more in narrowing the division between the Minister! and the federation than had been expected, and the continuing talks between Min-, (istry officials and the federation’s executive staff have.

"enabled their leaders to make' .some progress. j It was not expected that) agreement could be reached until the lamb price was; .known, which will probably) not be until early October.! .because the size of the gap ! between incomes and suffi-, (ciency cannot be estimated until the lamb price is known.; Both Mr Moyle and Mr Mc-i .Nab declined to speculate on I .what the lamb price might (be. Until the lamb price is) known, neither party can do more than put their own viewpoint, but they are now) in a much better position to) reach a common viewpoint l (than they were two weeks ago. The step-by-step approach) .the Minister and the meat' (and wool section have adopted is being shown to (be the right one in obtaining a mutually acceptable (support policy for meat and wool farmers.