Flourmillers’ Proposals For Grading Of Wheat

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28888, 7 May 1959, Page 14

Flourmillers’ Proposals For Grading Of Wheat

A system of wheat grading which imposes more stringent conditions than the present Board of Trade regulations has been proposed by the Flourmillers* Society. The Dominion council of the agricultural produce section of Federated Farmers, at its meeting in Christchurch yesterday, decided to form a committee to confer with United Wheatgrowers, Ltd., before meeting the Wheat Committee and the Flourmillers’ Society to discuss the proposals. A letter from the Wheat Committee to the council described the proposals and said that a meeting of the interested parties would be arran we d towards the end of this month.

The proposed standard of f.a.q. wheat is not more than 15 per cent, moisture and not more than 1.5 per cent, by weight of screenings. broken grain.. straw, weed seeds, sprouted trains. and extraneous matter. It must be clean and sweet and f ree from decav.

Discussing this, the chairman <Mr F. M. Henshaw) said that | the proposal was virtually the same as in the Board of Trade regulations, but the slight chance in ,wording whs significant. Tn the regulations, the wheat had to be clean and dry and “reasonably free” of screenings. The word “reasonably” should he retained, he said. It was needed for the variations which occurred in wheat in different years.

Mr C. A. B. Pilbrow said that the pronosal had the merit that it would put wheat on a commercial basis, comparable with barley. He felt that 1.5 per cent was too small an amount of permissible screenings, but he said that the Wheat Committee could define what was a fair standard

Mr Pilbrow suggested that the f.a.a. standard at present was not entirely satisfactory, as it was hard to say what a fair average sample was. It was a matter for the section council to agree in nrinciple and set up a small committee to meet with United Wheatgrowers. Ltd., and try to arrive at a satisfactory standard hv experimentally determining the amount of screenings in average wheat so that the screening rate was comparable with barley, he said.

“There is a bit of a bogy about these good and bad'vears.” said a member. “You either produce good or bad wheat.”

A committee consisting of Mr Henshaw and Messrs G. A. Nutt. A. N. Mclntosh, and R. G. Rainey was appointed to discuss the flourmillers’ proposals. Sampling by Farmers

The proposals also call for the farmer to take a 21b sample from each line to send to the broker or miller, accompanied by a Zeleny test result. If the hulked line is later found to be different, then the miller would have the right to either reject the line or make an adjustment in payment. If the Zeleny test was to be used for wheat at all, then it should be used for all wheat. Mr Henshaw said.

Mr J. H. Claridge agreed, saving that if quality or merit could be determined, then it should be a fair basis for sale. There were areas which could grow wheat of high baking quality. regardless of variety, said Mr Pilbrow. and if Zeleny testing was universal, then a line could be drawn above which a premium could be paid.

Some discussion of the Zeleny test took place, and at Mr Henshaw’s suggestion the meeting decided to ask a member of the staff of the Wheat Research Institute to address the council later in the day. After the luncheon recess. Mr R W Cawley, a scientific officer of the institute.

addressed the meeting and answered questions from members. Deductions Proposed

Another proposal made by the Flourmillers’ Society which was debated was that wheat containing excess moisture or too much screenings could be accepted by the miller after deductions had been made to compensate for the fault. The meeting disagreed generally with the proposal that all sacks should be free from stains, bleaching, and holes, on the grounds of impracticability. Arbitration in the event of a disputed grading would be by a competent wheat grader approved by the Wheat Committee and the society, it is suggested. At present the Board of Trade regulations allow for the regrading by an “authorised grader.” Members felt that aS the flourmiller was an interested party in any dispute, then the Wheat Committee’s approval only was the necessary qualification.