Conservatives ‘would back N.Z. in E.E.C.’

Press, 29 November 1977, Page 14

Conservatives ‘would back N.Z. in E.E.C.’

By

JOHN ROSS

in London

A British Conservative Gov-i eminent would support New Zealand’s case in Europe as strongly as the present 1 Labour Government had; done, said the New Zealand! Minister of Agriculture (Mr Maclntyre) after meeting the Conservative spokesman on agriculture, Mr John Pevton.l in London. “There are no signs of anv change in support, and Mr I Peyton assured me that New Zealand would be high on his list of priorities if he should become the next Minister of Agriculture,” said Mr MacIntyre. Their discussions, however, did not get down to details. Earlier, at a press conference in New Zealand House, the Minister struck a pessimistic note on the future for New Zealand dairy exports to Britain. Asked whether he regarded what happened to New Zealand cheese as a test case with implications for butter, he said, “The one looks verv imuch like the big brother of the other." Mr Maclntyre said New Zealand had no undertaking of any entry for its butter after 1980. “But,” he said, “it i seems unbelievable to us that in 1980 we would suddenly find we had lost a market for 115,000 tonnes of butter. “I can well understand the

■I European farmers being de- | lighted if we did lose it. bell cause of the surpluses thev J are producing and the price I they get. l| “We are not pleading our • case as a small country right : away down there — we sav i we should be allowed to sell. I that we are producing a good I product which has had a mar-> ■ jket in this part of the world •|for a very long time, and that r we can produce it at a competitive price." i On lamb exports, Mr Mac- ■ Intyre said he was confident . of access to European markets “for many years to come” but, he said, “it will ' be a long argument.” New Zealand, he said, also had a keen interest in the ’ enlargement of the European Community. Greece had been , a market for New Zealand ’ lamb since the war. “When Greece goes into the I Community, we will no ■ longer have the freedom of ! access we have had there in • the past, so we have an in- ' terest in the possibility of ! Greece — and Spain and Portugal — joining the Com- ' munity fairly soon.” ! This year, Mr Maclntyre : said, New Zealand was send--1 ing about 15,000 tonnes or :’7 per cent of its total lamb ' exports, to Greece. t “But by and large these . are lambs which are not suit= i able for Britain.”