EEC
Suger baddies
Molly Mortimer
February 1, 1975, may be a dark day for the Sugar Dependencies. Protocol 22 of the Treaty of Enlargement (when Britain joined the EEC) affirmed an assurance for a secure cane sugar market based on the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement quantities. Britain herself made a firm commitment to accept 1.4 million tons. This was re-affirmed when the thirteen sugar producers of the Commonwealth met in Lon" don last March and long term planning f91. the sugar industry was made on that basis, including arrangements with London, Liverpool and Greenock sugar refineries in the UK' Yet, though perfectly aware of these assurances, France is now creating unnecessary sourness by supporting her sugar beet lobby, her farmers have not been asked to contract production — merely .to restrain expansion. Nor are these farmers poor and dependent upon sugar like overseas cane producers' .I' July, the preliminary conference of forty-five developing, countries (including twenty-two from the Commonwealth) met members of the EEC in Brussels. Commonwealth African au" Caribbean doubts were strongly expressed bY the Nigerian Trade Commissioner, and neatly summed up by Mr Ramphal of Guyan.a• reciprocity between unequals is a contradiction in economic terms. Speaking of sugar he said that if the EEC failed in .its assurances, not only export earnings and employme.nt would be severely affected, but entire economies would be disrupted. With what political effects he did not need to add.
Whatever kind of deal comes out of the present Geneva talks over international sugal: agreements which end this year, the present shortage of sugar and the gap left by AO" tralian imports will only increase European beet lobby. Britain too has be farmers who would like their share.
Mr. Heath, at the Commonwealth Conference, gave firm and specific promises that the 1.4 million tons deal would be maintained, if nothing more. If he sells out the Sugar Dependencies for his broken European dream, it would be very hard to trust hirn again.
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