April to

ITC will take until April to rule on lamb exports

THE International Trade Commission would take until April to rule on whether Australian and New Zealand lamb exports were jeopardising the united States lamb industry, New Zealand’s ambassador to Washington, Jim Bolger said.

Bolger appeared before the US-based commission mid-January, arguing the American lamb industry was more threat ened by competing meats than by New Zealand and Australian lamb.

“I thought we had a good hearing. I thought the commission gave us a fair hearing and asked important questions,”

Bolger told National Radio.

“Now they will go away to deliberate.

It’s not until April we will know the final determination. I think the commission will have the last word”.

American sheep farmers filed a peti tion with the commission claiming Australian and New Zealand imports were seriously injuring them.

They say they are threatened by the rapid increase in Australian and New Zealand lamb imports and want a four year quantitative restriction imposed, and an increase in tariffs to protect the local market.

Bolger said he believed the answer was to expand the lamb market in the United States, which had the capacity to take all available supplies.

“The number of sheep in all countries has dropped by tens of millions so we’re not talking about an expanding product, we’re talking about a reduced volume of product and I think this market can be grown to accommodate it all,” he said.

There was “a lot of heat and emotion” from the American farmers but about two thirds of Americans had never tasted lamb. (NZPA) ■