24 April 1994 GATT Discussion Day at Lincoln

GATT, the Uruguay Round and its implications for the farming community all go under the microscope at a public discussion at Lincoln University on 12 July.

The special GATT day has been organised by Lincoln University Farmers Committee and it's aimed at farmers, farm management consultants and agribusiness sector personnel.

"Although the Uruguay Round was completed in December last year, the briefing papers have been available only since April and new material on what the round is really going to mean to the agricultural sector is just coming out," says Farmers Committee chairman John Ryan of Christchurch.

"Between them, the speakers at the discussion day will present as much of the latest information as possible and leave participants with a definite 'take home message'.

The morning session will open with Lincoln University's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bruce Ross, presenting background on GATT leading up to the start of the Uruguay Round. He will be followed by Crawford Falconer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, one of the key negotiators, who will describe the negotiations and the trade-offs that took place in the final settlement.

Alan Kerr of MAF Policy will speak on the implications for the farming community and Chris Nixon of the NZ Institute of Economic Research will put a dollar value on the round with a quantitative analysis.

The after-lunch segment consists of industry perspectives on what changes, if necessary, the agricultural industry must undertake to maintain or enhance New Zealand's competitive edge. Industry representatives will be there from the Dairy Board, Meat Board, Arable sector, Forestry Corporation and Wool Board.

This part of the day will be followed by a question-and-answer session in which invited farmers will quiz Crown Research representatives on research that is available now or in the pipeline.

This research, for the wider farming community, must be in place so that exports remain competitive and are not hindered by non-tariff barriers such as chemical residue and plant disease regulations and animal health issues.

Professor Tony Bywater, Head of Lincoln University's Farm Management Department, will sum up the day's proceedings at about 4.30pm.

The venue is Lincoln University's Stewart Lecture Theatre, it starts at 10am and the location will be signposted from all directions. The cost is $35 and include teas, lunch and a copy of the proceedings.

For registrations and further information contact Errol Costello, Centre for Continuing Education, Lincoln University, telephone (03) 3253-832 or fax (03) 3253-840.

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.