Mr Moyle defends trade access

Press, 1 December 1987, Page 9

Mr Moyle defends trade access

PETER O’HARA

NZPA London The Minister of Agriculture, Mr Moyle, made a spirited defence of New Zealand trade access to Britain yesterday, slamming Europe for “destroying” international butter and meat markets. Appearing in a live interview on a 8.8. C. television farming programme, Mr Moyle said that New Zealand’s guaranteed access would not have been necessary if Europe had its own house in order. Asked why Britain should not cut out all imports of New Zealand butter and sheepmeat, Mr Moyle said: “For the same reason that we should not cut out all imports of industrial goods from Britain. “What we are engaged in as multilateral traders is producing what we can produce best and selling it so we can import the other commodities where we haven’t got a competitive edge.” Mr Moyle said that the overloaded British agriculture market was the result of the European “mess” caused by subsidies to farmers. Over the last 20 years the E.E.C. had created “huge artificial surpluses.” Europe had “ignored the market situation, whereas New Zealand has historically produced for

the international marketplace.” Mr Moyle said that the last 15 years since Britain joined the Common Market would possibly have been enough for New Zealand to find other markets “had not the Europeans ignored the agreement not to frustrate us in third markets.” The E.E.C. had unloaded huge surpluses of red meat and dairy products on the world market, “quite definitely destroying the international marketplace as far as those products is concerned.” Asked why New Zealand should have a guaranteed place in the British market, Mr Moyle referred to a history of supply and said: “Thirty years ago we had the British Minister of Agriculture pleading to send 97 per cent of New Zealand’s production to Britain. "We certainly would not want a guaranteed market in Europe or anywhere else if the European house was in order in respect of its production and if it was selling fairly in the international marketplace on a supply-de-mand, balanced situation.” In response to a question, Mr Moyle said that 34 mortgagee sales in the last quarter did not constitute a disaster for New Zealand farming.