Hopes for five-year butter agreement

Press, 12 April 1984, Page 8

Hopes for five-year butter agreement

NZPA staff correspondent London The Irish Government was willing to allow a fiveyear agreement for New Zealand butter imports to Britain, but the actual amount would have to be fixed each year, said Ireland’s Ambassador to the E.E.C., Mr Andrew O’Rourke. This was because milk quotas for E.E.C. dairy fanners would be reviewed each year, he told E.E.C. Foreign Ministers meeting in Luxemburg, the “Irish Times” newspaper reported. The New Zealand butter question was discussed briefly by the Foreign Ministers at the request of the Dutch Agriculture Minister, Mr Gerrit Braks.

But no decision was taken and it would come up again at the Agriculture Ministers’ meeting-next month.

New Zealand has been given a two-month rollover for imports to Britain until the end of May.

The Irish Agriculture Minister, Mr Austin Deasy, has said he would only agree to a one-year deal for New Zealand because Irish farmers had been given only a one-year guarantee on increased milk output.

Mr Braks, who has two brothers farming in New Zealand, was one of the Ministers strongly opposed to Ireland’s getting special arrangements which allow its farmers to increase production while other E.E.C. farmers have to cut back. The Netherlands is reported to have argued at Tuesday’s Foreign Ministers’ meeting that the E.E.C. should be prepared to sign a five-year agreement with New Zealand because New Zealand agreed to a fiveyear agreement under which France and Ireland would continue to be recognised as sensitive markets for lamb. The E.E.C. also needed New Zealand’s co-operation in maintaining stability in international dairy markets, Ministers were told.

Support for the Dutch view came from Britain and West Germany.

New Zealand has now said it will not sign the fiveyear agreement on sensitive markets for lamb unless it gets a five-year deal on butter.

The E.E.C. Commission proposals are for a fiveyear agreement starting with 83,000 tonnes this year, going down to 75,000 tonnes in 1988.