Beef import gates open

Press, 23 August 1977, Page 3

Beef import gates open

j PA Wellington i The Government has decided to eliminate the duty I on imported beef. Announcing this yester- | day, the Ministr of Cus- . toms (Mr Wilkinson) said there had been no imports of foreign beef into New , Zealand in the last few I years, and if the removal 1 of duty had any effect, it I could be expected to be negligible. •‘New Zealand’s beef producers are fully competi-

tive in the world markets, and it is not essential to retain our relatively high duties to protect New Zealand beef on the domestic market,” he said. The Government’s decision would, however, have the effect of removing an unnecessary irritant which had been used against New Zealand by the protective lobbies in some countries in which our beef was marketed. The Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) said that the

duty on imported beef was about 27.5 par cent. Mr Muldoon, who described the Government’s decision as “a gesture,” said a similar action had already been taken with dairy' produce. If someone wanted to import beef into this country', “good luck to them,” he said. “If anyone, wants to lose money they can bring some in.” The move is seen by the meat industry as a token

effort designed to enhance New Zealand’s case for access for its manufacturing bee.' .to the United States.

No-one expects the elimination of the duty to lead to a flood of prime American grain beef on the New Zealand market. Estimates from meat traders in Wellington suggested that air-freighted, chilled United States steaks would retail at three to four times the price of the local product.