U.S. suggests cutting imports of beef

Press, 15 April 1986, Page 20

U.S. suggests cutting imports of beef

BY

TOM BRIDGMAN

NZPA staff correspondent Washington

Falling beef prices, caused by a dairy herd buy-out scheme designed to reduce surpluses, have led United States legislators to say beef imports may have to be reduced to support the market.

The Senate has resolved, 86-12, that the Government should buyup more red meat to support prices, while 21 Senators also introduced a bill which has as one of its provisions the proposal to cut imports. Also in the House dairy, livestock and poultry subcommittee Congressmen closely questioned United States Department of Agriculture officials as to whether the falling beef prices were not an emergency which could allow the imposition of quotas to support domestic beef prices. The Senate bill, sponsored by a Republican, Don Nickles, of Okla-

homa, and a Democrat, David Boren, from the same state, says that if the Government finds that its mandated purchase of 400 million pounds of red meat is not sufficient, it should buy more meat, decrease imports, or export more. Under the dairy herd buy-out provisions of the farm bill, designed to reduce dairy surpluses, the Government will buy the 400 million pounds of red meat to ensure it does not adversely affect the meat market.

Half the meat will be used in domestic food programmes, and half for export. But since the programme began this month farmers have claimed the department has mis-man-aged the scheme, because cattle are flooding the market without a commensurate buy-up of the surplus meat by the Government. $ In the dairy sub-com-mittee Congressmen, in-

eluding a Democrat, Glenn English, of Oklahoma, argued that the situation was such it should allow the emergency imposition of a 50 per cent cut in imports.