France, Ireland still blocking

Press, 10 February 1983, Page 2

France, Ireland still blocking

NZPA Brussels France and Ireland continued to block final agreement on New Zealand’s 1983 butter quota in Brussels yesterday, forcing E.E.C. Agriculture Ministers to allow imports to continue for only a month at a time. This means New Zealand will be able to send 7250 tonnes of butter to Britain next month, one-twelfth of this year’s proposed quota of 87,000 tonnes.

The French are vetoing final agreement of the quota until the E.E.C. agrees to what France regards as satisfactory arrangements for the resumption of subsidised sales of surplus butter to the Soviet Union.

The French Agriculture Minister, Mrs Edith Cresson, has warned that France will oppose any imports at all from New Zealand next year until the E.E.C. rules on

sales to the Soviets are changed. The French argue that the Soviet Union is being discriminated against because of the way the E.E.C. works its butter tender system. The British Agriculture Minister, Mr Peter Walker, said after yesterday’s meeting that agreement on a further one-month roll-over for New Zealand imports had been “quite quick.” |

But he said he had made it clear that the British 'Government viewed very seriously the trade deal Mrs Cresson had made witK the Soviet Government wherj she was in Moscow last October.