Dublin talks bring little good news

Press, 5 July 1978, Page 2

Dublin talks bring little good news

NZPA Dublin Ireland has made it plain that it would be happy to consign New Zealand’s special relationship with the E.E.C. into the realms of forgotten history. As one New Zealand official said after talks in Dublin: “The Irish do not evensee a chink of light for us.” The Minister of Overseas Trade (Mr Taiboys), was a little more positive and hopeful but added that the Irish Minister of Agriculture (Mr Joseph Gibbons) had made it clear that his job was to look after the interests of Irish producers. A glance at dairy and sheepmeat statistics of both Ireland and New Zealand shows that what would be good for New Zealand producers would not be good for Ireland’s producers, and vice versa. Agriculture in Ireland provides 15 per cent of the republic’s gross national prod-

uct, almost the same as New Zealand, but far higher than : any of its European Community partners. Italy is the next best, with 9.5 per cent of the G.N.P. The country’s economy, like that of New Zealand, is based on agriculture but Ireland, thanks to the E.E.C., can call on a broader base. Mr Taiboys received little encouragement when he met Mr Gibbons and probably did not expect much. Regarding New Zealand’s concern about the E.E.C.’s proposed sheepmeat regulation, Mr Gibbons said it was his job — not New Zealand’s — to look after Ireland’s sheepfarmers. On New Zealand’s dairy exports to Britain, Mr Gibbons again made it clear - that he would pursue the interests of his producers. Mr Taiboys was asked at a press conference about which E.E.C. countries were for New Zealand and which :

were against. He replied that he did not keep a scoresheet, but he did not need to say that Ireland could not be counted among New Zealand’s trading friends. Mr Taiboys was clearly rattled by some questions from Irish journalists and just as clearly annoyed at questions which attempted to establish to what degree British companies owned the New Zealand sheep industry and how much the New Zealand Meat Board manipulated lamb prices. He said twice that the producers in New Zealand owned the lamb until it was sold, and spelt out in detail who bought it. But he did i.ot mention the big slice of New Zealand freezing works owned by British interests. Neither, in regard to marketing, did he admit that the board last year intervened through its hastily set-up subsidiary, Meatmark, on the British market.