Mr Taiboys to tell E.E.C. of dangers in sheepmeat plans

Press, 6 May 1980, Page 1

Mr Taiboys to tell E.E.C. of dangers in sheepmeat plans

Parliamentary reporter The Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mr Taiboys) will visit European Economic Community capitals to impress on members of the Community the dangers New Zealand sees in the sheepmeat regime now being discussed by E.E.C. Agricultural Ministers. Mr Taiboys will leave for Europe today to attend President Tito’s funeral, and he will attend to E.E.C. matters while in Europe. He will visit Rome and Bonn and might make other calls, depending on the outcome of the Agricutural Ministers’ meeting over the next two days.

“We are very much concerned about the proposals for a sheepmeat regime which were considered last week at the Council of Agricultural Ministers and which'were rejected totally by the British Minister (Mr Peter Walker),” the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) told a press conference. “The proposals contained a provision for an intervention process which we would regard as very, very damaging to the New Zealand lamb trade,” he said. Mr Muldoon disclosed that he had sent a personal message to the British Prime Minister (Mrs Thatcher) last Friday, ex-

pressing New Zealand’s concern. “The response was that Britain has simply said ‘no’ to this proposed regime, objecting in a number of details and objecting to the whole proposal. “The importance of the support we are getting from the British Government is that Britain was the only country which objected and there was a tendency for the other countries to go along with something in that form,” Mr Muldoon said. ' “It is extremely important to us that we are get-

ting such strong support from the British Government.” Mr Taiboys probably will not visit London, but his European visit is seen as an ideal opportunity to reinforce New Zealand’s case with the West Germans, who Mr Muldoon described yesterday as “our good friends.” Mr Muldoon mentioned the recent visit to New Zealand of the West German Minister of Defence (Dr Hans Apel) who had expressed complete understanding of New Zealand's - trading problems.