German help for Minister

Press, 27 January 1979, Page 1

German help for Minister

NZPA London Thp Minister of Overseas Trade (Mr Taiboys) has taken the unprecedented step of enlisting support from the powerful Germans for New Zealand’s cheese case in the Geneva trade talks.

Mr Taiboys said last evening that he had telephoned the West German Minister of Economics (Mr Otto Lambsdorff) to put New Zealand’s case for a resumption of cheddar exports to Britain. He said that Mr Lambsdorff was helpful and had promised to do all he could. It is believed that the gist of the talk was intended to reach — and will reach — the influential ears of the West German Minister of Agriculture (Mr Josef Ertl) who is now in Berlin for

that city’s “Green Week” an annual showcase for farm products. However, the “Green Week” this year is algo the occasion for an informal meeting of European farm Ministers, the men who will ultimately decide on New Zealand’s plea — in the context of the Multilateral Trade Negotiations in Geneva — to resume sending the 15.000 tonnes of cheese to Britain that had to stop at the end of 1977. Nor will New Zealand be left in the lurch by the European Economic Community over butter exports.

Mr Taiboys discussed post-1980 quotas for New Zealand butter with the British Minister of Agriculture (Mr Silkin) and he received another assurance of Britain’s backing.