Brussels success for Mr Talboys

Press, 6 July 1977, Page 6

Brussels success for Mr Talboys

NZPA Staff corespondent Brussels

The first round in New Zealand’s latest fight to keep a foothold in the European Market to have been won by the Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Taiboys).

He will leave for Luxemburg today after opening his European tour ,’n Brussels yesterua; with four meetings.

Mr Taiboys said at the end of the day that the European commission seemed to have no intention of proposing a deal on New Zealand’s muchwanted dairy price increase j— a more money for a smaller tonnage deal — and that a sheepmeat regulation would not be drawn up without the commission’s first hearing New Zealand’s views. “There has been every indication that it is worth while to be here at this time,” Mr Taiboys said, “and the opportunity to make our case has been valuable.”

He urged at each of the four meetings that the price i increase should be discussed lat the agriculture ministers’ I meeting in Brussels in a fortnight, and although no proposal had yet been framed by the commission, there was every indication it would be, he said.

[ Mr Taiboys said that there had been no indication what

iincrease might be suggested, [but he would explain to E.E.C. officials and politicians that dairy producers’ costs had risen by an average of 26 per cent since the agriculture ministers granted an 18 per cent price increase, which was effective from January 1 last year. He will also tell them that New Zealand starts off at a price which is 47 per cent of that being paid to European dairymen. , New Zealand accepted an 118 per cent price increase for : dairy products in 1975, on the | condition that it cut back its I exports during 1976. It was feared by some observers that a similar proposal might have been put forward this year.

Mr Taiboys said that a sheepmeat regulation could begin to be framed within the next few weeks. He said that he had been assured New Zealand — one of the com- ■ munity’s main lamb suppliers — would be consulted.

New Zealand is opposed to a so-called safeguard clause in a regulation which could shut out New Zealand lamb from E.E.C. markets under certain conditions.

The third principal aim of Mr Talboys’s trip is to press for continued access for New Zealand cheese after the end

of this year. He hopes to have I exports to Europe — mainly .Britain — of New Zealand’s 'Cheddar kept at the same level as this year’s 15,000 tonnes, which is a considerable drop on the figures of previous years.

He told the officials yesterday that New Zealand had already cut back on its cheese production and could not afford to absorb more reductions. There was a need for an international agreement on cheese marketing, he said, and until there was, New Zealand still had to live.

Cheese access stops under the terms of Britain’s entry treaty, although E.E.C. Heads of Government did promise a review when they met in Dublin in 1975.

New Zealand now regards the question as urgent, but it does not want the separate issues of cheese access and pricing to be dealt with at the same agriculture ministers’ meeting.

Mr Taiboys met the president. of the commission (Mr Roy Jenkins), the farm commissioner (Mr Finn Olav Gundelach), the new president of the Council of Ministers, (Mr Henri Simonet), and the Belgian Agriculture Minister (Mr Antoine Humblet).