Beef quota awaited

Press, 20 December 1978, Page 3

Beef quota awaited

NZPA Staff correstondent Washington The Carter Administration still has not moved on 1979 beef imports but it cannot delay a decision much longer. By law the American Department of Agriculture must estimate first-quarter imports by the last working day of any year: Friday, December 29, this year. . - New Zealand officials have been standing by for some days waiting to be called in for discussions on 1979 import levels. The word round Washington is that imporb of between 1500 M and 1600 M pounds will be permitted next year. Total imports reached 1500 M lb this year. Several options are available to the Administration and inter-agency papers on these are still circulating within the Administration,

according to Informed sources. Foreign suppliers. New Zealand and Australia are the main ones, are counting on the Administratitfti’s coneern about rising meat prices and inflation to sway’ the case for as big a tonnage as possible. But the Administration will have to balance the case for imports at high levels against domestic cattle industry opposition to more imports. New Zealand this year was permitted to ship a record 331.1 M lb (150.1 1 tonnes) of beef. The original voluntary restraint level was 272.651 lb but that amount was increased twice — when President Carter sanctioned greater imports in June to combat rising prices, and when New Zealand won a share last week of a shortfall in shipments by Central American and Canadian suppliers.