asked the Minister for Agriculture if he considers that the quota of 12,000 tons of butter imports to the UK from this country vis-à-vis the amount of 16,000 tons of such imports to the UK from Poland conforms to the principles of GATT in which the most favoured nation clause applies; and whether he would consider making representations to the contracting parties to GATT to see that this grave injustice to Irish exports is rectified, or at least made public at international level.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Butter Quota in Britain.
19.
While we object to the principle of limitation on our freedom to export butter and, as already indicated, do not regard our allocation as satisfactory any comments we might make on allocations made to other countries would not improve our position.
As this country is not a member of the GATT, it would not be appropriate to make representations to the contracting parties as the Deputy suggests.
Does the Minister consider that the Polish Government have received more favourable terms from the United Kingdom in relation to their sales than the Irish Government have?
I would answer the Supplementary Question in this way. In the course of discussions with the British on a matter of this nature, while it is appropriate to draw attention if you are aware of it, to the treatment meted out to other countries, in the main, I think the most advantageous approach is to base your case, as we did, on other factors that, to our way of reasoning, should have a stronger bearing on the treatment meted out to us.
While I concur in what the Minister said, would he not agree that it was stated fairly recently by the Government, as a result of recent negotiations in London, that we have a particular trade relationship with the United Kingdom? As such, would he not consider that we certainly should have received far more favourable terms than a country like Poland behind the Iron Curtain?
Our case, I can assure the Deputy, was made energetically on all these points.