BUTTER IMPROVEMENT

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 56, 7 March 1934, Page 14

BUTTER IMPROVEMENT

OBSTACLES IN THE WAY.

LESSONS FROM DENMARK,

We have received the following letter from Mr. K. C. Jorgensen:—

The conference called by Mr. lorbes in the interests of the dairy industry is a step in the right direction, providing always the conference will havo the courage to face facts. The history of the dairy industry in New Zealand proves conclusively that the Government of this country has always done its best to assist the dairy farmer, and no doubt it always will. The trouble is that the average New Zealand dairy farmer is a most difficult to deal with, and thus difficult to assist. Hardly at any time has a regulation been introduced for the betterment of the industry but it has been strenuously opposed. Who does not remember the outcry when the provision of concrete floors in milking sheds was made compulsory? Practically without exception the same has been the case with every other provision that has been introduced. Danish and New Zealand. Herein lies the difference between the Danish and the New Zealand farmer. The Danish farmer will vie with each other to carry out a provision a little better. The New Zealand farmer will hold meetings of protest and endeavour to upset the regulation, or at any rate sec what is the very least lie needs to do under its provision. One shudders to think what would happen if the factories here had the same powers of control over suppliers' cleanliness and feeding of milcli cows as they have in Denmark. Another instance of this may be seen in the case of pigs. In New Zealand, no othor guidance than the nwe is required to locate the piggery, and almost any kind of food will do. In Denmark both the pigs and the piggery are clean and free from smell, and the pigs are fed a definite diet, at any rate tlio last few weeks before killing, or tlicy arc rejected for export.

.Manv and loud are the assertions about the New Zealand butter being the best in the world; the fact remains, however, that the consumer in always willing to pay more for Danish. "Prejudice," says the Now Zealand farmer. "Quality," "saj-s the consumer. "New Zealand butter is much richer in vitamins," says the New Zealand farmer. "Danish butter is fresher and therefore better flavoured," says the consumer. This 13 the question I should like to ask every thinking farmer in New Zealand. Eather than argue with the consumer about the. merit*? and demerits of our and other countries' butter, would it not be much better to provide him with the fresh butter for which he asks? The average farmer may not understand the difference between Danish and New Zealand butter, due mainly to the acid starter used by the Danes, for which reason, also, Danish butter ripens much quicker and consequently does not have the same keeping powers as New Zealand butter. Perhaps it is not necessary to understand this; but it is necessary to understand that, as the consumer pays, he has the prior claim to an opinion. Many friends of New Zealand at Home have from time to time written telling us how, at various times, they have been surprised at the excellent quality of our butter. Others, on the other hand, tell us that they only use our butter for cooking. The trouble is that the truly wonderful keeping powers of our butter are being severely abused by prolonged storage. What is the use of telling our consumers, by means of our extensive advertising at Home, that our butter is fresh, and why keep on fooling ourselves with the same fallacy? Only recently we were advised that the Dairy Control Board had effected a saving of £13,000 on this year's storage charges. We pat the board and ourselves on the back and say, "Good business"; but is it? Assuming the £15,000 represents a saving of 10 per cent, the board must still bo paying at least £135,000 per annum for storage. In view of this fact, how can we claim for our butter that it is fresh? No Storage. The difference in opinion among the consumers as to the quality of our butter is largely the difference in the age of the butter. I firmly believe that the better keeping quality of our butter over Danish is equal to the difference ill transport time, but it is madness to subject it to prolonged storage as well. The Danes pay no storage at all. They I clear the floors every week, regardless of price, and I am confident that New Zealand would be wise to do the same. By so doing, its undoubted merit would soon be recognised by the consumers, good will would be recovered, and the merchants would and/or could make definite contracts with factories for the whole or part of the output on the basis, according to quality, of, say, five to ten points below the Danish quotalion on the day of arrival in London. Most of the Danish factories sell their output at the commencement of the season after very keen competition among the merchants at several points above the weekly quotation, according to the individual factory's reputation for quality. This, of course, does not mean that England will be able to continue to absorb an increasing annual quantity of New Zealand butter, but itdoes mean the firm establishment of our main market.