Irish opponent of N.Z. dairy sales retires

Press, 15 March 1978, Page 16

Irish opponent of N.Z. dairy sales retires

By

SELWYN PARKER

! in Dublin

Mr Joe McGough, the scourge jf the New Zealand ‘’special case” in E.E.C. dairy markets, has stepped down as chief of Ireland’s Dairy’ Board after a 12-year reign.

Although Mr McGough has been unusually outspoken about the New Zealand cause and. I, occasionally vehement, it is unlikely that his successor, a 37-year-old financial wizard Mr Brin foyce, will adopt a softer line.

M Joyce rose through the ranks under Mr McGough and it is certain ‘ t his attitude to E.E.C. marketing derives from his former boss, a Harvard marketing graduate.

The former Dairy Board managing director has firm ideas about Ireland’s place in the E.E.C. market — and they do not include New Zeland. In one of his last speeches in Feb-narv, before formally handing over, Mr McGough delivered a public reminder to his successor.

The Treaty of Rome, he told farmers at a public meeting, was never intended to allow countries such as

New Zealanu t send 125,000 tonnes of butter to Britain every year. And a few weeks earlier he gave even tougher advice to Dairy Board negotiators. New Zealand, he said, was “sitting pretty” (through its butter sales on the British market) while the other E.E.C. countries had to “sweat it out”. The architects of the E.E.C. never envisaged that New Zealand should be “in for 125,000 tonnes of butter in 1978, 120,000 tonnes in 1979 and 115,000 tonnes in 1980.” Although sales of New Zealand cheese, he added, were still an unknown quantity, New Zealand would “put up a hard fight.” He warned: “Any weakness on the part of the Nine would see New Zealand selling into the E.E.C. on special terms for many years to come.” It was no good relying on Britain in the fight to keep New Zealand out, 1° said. The Labour Government was consumer-orientated and the Agriculture Minister, (Mr Silkin) would not even support his own farmers “who are as loud in their criticism

of the presence of New Zealand as the Irish dairy farmer.”

Mr McGough’s departing comments are typical of a highly quotable career. Not only New Zealand has come under his fire but also Britain (“blatantly dishonest in its approach since joining the E.E.C.”), Brussels bureaucrats (“stupid regulation and negative attitudes”), and a lot of other countries and factions.

Since taking over the Dairy Board from a former rugby star Mr Tony O’Reilly, who j ined Heinz foods, Mr McGough has rapidly exn 3 " 1 its exports. In 1971 exports were $l2O million; last year tF°v totalled $BOO million.

Now the Dairy Board is in the middle of a five-year diversification plan which is concentrating on the production of whole milk powder and non-cheddar cheeses. A major McGough success was the high sales of Irish butter under the Kerrygold lable. He now returns to business and private practice as a lawyer.