Case for sheepmeat duty weak—Aust. Minister

Press, 23 April 1984, Page 8

Case for sheepmeat duty weak—Aust. Minister

PA Wellington Australian sheepfarmers would find it extremely difficult to prove injury to their livelihoods from increased imports of New Zealand mutton, the Australian Minister of Primary Industries,. Mr John Kerin, has said in Wellington. Meat, like most agricultural produce, is traded as duty-free across the Tasman. But Australian meat lobbyists claim that cheap imports of New Zealand mutton in recent months have forced a collapse in market prices. They want countervailing duties imposed to remove any pricing advantage gained by Supplementary Minimum Price subsidies. To impose duties, the Australians have to prove that the subsidies aid exports, and that their livelihoods are materially injured by the imports. New Zealand officials and the Meat Board emphasise that the increase in mutton sales this year, to about 3000 tonnes from 600 last year, has gone to a single buyer for processing. They also say that the New Zealand mutton sold in Australia was of an inferior grade to the Australian pro-

duce which has suffered a price fall and forms the basis of the Australian complaint.

Mr Kerin acknowledged the weakness of the Australian sheepfarmers’ case. “If the industry feels it is being damaged they have got to go through set procedures,” said Mr Kerin. But ... “we can’t have inter-

national convention upset by too much over-reaction, but if they think they are being damaged, okay the action is there for them to take.

“I have said publicly, I do not think they will be able to show injury, but that will be shown by the due process,” said Mr Kerin.