John Luxton
National International Trade Spokesperson

8 May 2001

Govt u-turn on deregulation welcomed

National welcomes the Government's decision to deregulate the pip-fruit industry allowing apple and pear growers a choice of exporters, National's International Trade and Negotiations spokesman John Luxton said today. "It is interesting to see the Government take such a u-turn given two years ago in Opposition it said it would not deregulate producer boards.

"Back then the proposed legislation was only ever going to be a 'half-way house' measure but it was the model requested by the industry at the time.

"Seventy percent of the industry now support deregulation. It will give growers more opportunity to sell their produce on a competitive market.

"A deregulated environment should also see increased opportunities for new market development and new investment in this important sector.

"Let's not forget that this is a sector that has already been hit by low international market prices, some costly decisions by monopoly exporter ENZA, and inclement weather over recent years," Mr Luxton said.

Ends

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>