§ Mr. Leeasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied that adequate access to the Common Market will be granted to New Zealand farm produce after 1978, in view of the representations that are currently being made by the New Zealand Government on the subject.
§ Mr. John SilkinThe New Zealand Government are naturally concerned about the maintenance of agricultural exports to the Community. We keep in close touch with them on these matters.
On sheepmeat, we expect the Commission to produce proposals for a regime very shortly. We have made it clear that any regime must provide for our requirements for substantial imports which can only come from New Zealand.
On dairy products, arrangements made under Protocol 18 of the Act of Accession assure imports of specified quantities of butter from New Zealand up to the end of 1980. Arrangements for the period after 1980 have yet to be made on the basis of Protocol 18. No provision was made in Protocol 18 for continued imports of cheese after the end of 1977 but the Heads of Government of the Community when they met in Dublin in March 1975 noted that this situation and the problems that might arise from it would be given due attention. The possibility of access arrangements for cheese is one of the questions to be considered in the negotiations for a new international agreement on dairy products in the GATT multilateral trade negotiations.