BRITISH MEAT TRADE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19247, 12 February 1937, Page 9

BRITISH MEAT TRADE

NO DRASTIC CHANGES DR. PAGE'S COMMENT SYDNEY, Jan. 30. The Minister for Commerce, Dr.j Earl Page, denied to-day that Britain contemplated revolutionary changes in the livestock industry. He was commenting on a statement made recently by the Queensland Agent-Gen-eral "in London, Mr. L. H. Pike, that the British Livestock Bill would radically affect the future of the beef industry in'the countries of the Empire. Dr." Page said that as a result of discussions with the Empire Meat Council and the International Meat Committee in the last two years, representatives of Australia and New Zealand had agreed to the conditions incorporated in the British T.ivcstock Bill, on condition that supplies of beef from the Argentine were restricted to enable imports from the dominions to be increased.

Dr. Page said that Australia was protected by the increase in the restriction on' imports from foreign countries, which was provided for in the bill. Immediately after the Ottawa Conference, imports from the Argentine were cut by 35 per cent in mutton and lamb, and "by Id per cent in chilled beef. Under the new arrangement the 35 per cent cut in mutton and lamb remained, but an additional , 5 per cent on top of the 10 ppr cent oh chilled beef had been imposed for the next three years, and provision was made for the Dominions to share in the vacant space made by the cuts in Argentine supplies under the regulations of the Empire Meat Council and the International Meat Committee.

A warning that the Queensland beef industry should note that revolutionary changes -wore contemplated in the reorganisation of the British livestock industry was given by Mr. Pike. "The Livestock Bill," he said, "indicates that a new era is envisaged for the livestock branch of agriculture in the United Kingdom, involving changes which might radically affect the future of the beef, industry in Queensland and other Empire countries. The bill involves a dynamic departure from the principles laid down at the Ottawa Conference in that an effort is being made to settle the problem of Britain's meat imports by international co-op-eration and the'constitution of international and Empire conferences sitting in London. Whether the dominions will fall into line with these arrangements is a matter for the future."