Wapakoneta friends

Press, 30 March 1981, Page 1

Wapakoneta friends

■NZPA Wellington I New Zealand has some I new friends in the United I States—the people of ; Wapakoneta.

j They may not know ' much about the tiny counI try on the other side of the j Pacific, but they know their I livelihood depends upon it, ; and so they are bitterly ; opposed to moves in the I American Congress to limit I imports of New Ze?,land ; casein.

Wapakoneta is a town of ■ 8200 people, 136 km northj west of Colombus, Ohio. Its | biggest employer is the ; Fisher Cheese company, i which relies on casein from

New Zealand for a big part of its production. If efforts to curb casein imports succeed, the Fisher Cheese company will go out of business, taking with it 450 jobs and ?. $6 million a year payroll, says the vice-president, Mr Charles Kantner.

Casein restrictions would force the company to switch to American nonfat dry milk for its cheese production, at three times the price it pays for casein. “That would triple the price of our product ?,nd force us out of the market,” said Mr Kantner.

“Even a partial ban on casein would drive up the price so high that we

would be out of business.” Residents of Wapakoneta say this would ruin the town, which recently spent $lO million building a sewerage plant to serve the cheese factory. Mr Kantner said he did not have the same success with efforts to see his state congressmen to put the company’s case, as the dairy lobby, which is powerful in Ohio, is campaigning for the casein curbs.

“It is really frightening to think the future of our town ?.nd our company is being settled in Washington by people who do not even know we exist,” said Mr Kantner.