Board Debates Quality Of City’s Milk

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30284, 9 November 1963, Page 13

Board Debates Quality Of City’s Milk

Whether the Christchurch Metropolitan Milk Board should tell town-supply dairy fanners what type of stock and crops should be used to improve the standard of milk was discussed by the board yesterday, but no decision was reached.

Several members suggested that the national requirement of a minimum of 8.5 per cent solids-not-fat content should be reduced to 8 per cent m Canterbury, but this was strongly opposed. Payment of premiums to farmers supplying top-grade milk, and penalties for those providing sub-standard milk were also suggested. Mr H. E. Denton said he had heard producers say they would not be dictated to. They would rather go out of busmess than change from Fnesians to another breed which produced milk of a higher quality but not in the same quantity. “This is the attitude the board has to cope with. We must not be weaklings,” Mr Denton said. Farmers who supplied substandard milk should be told of the board's feelings on the matter. The board was strongly aware of its responsibility to see the public got what they were paying for. “Quite a number of producers in this area are supplying milk with the required solids-not-fat content. Dunedin gets it all right, and if they can, so can we,” he said. “Ridiculous” A statement made by Mr W. E. Olds that it was not the board’s job to tell the farmers what to do was ridiculous, said Mr Denton. Since 1955 the board had been patient with producers, and the board seemed generally to feel this patience should be extended to 1965. He thought this was “stretching it far enough." It was about time the producers put their house in order. Mr Olds said the board's concern was the standard of milk, but how this standard was achieved was not the board's province. It was up

to the farmers to improve breeds. “The responsibility of the board in this matter is nil" If farmers here found it so difficult to meet requirements, should the requirements for Canterbury not be lowered? he asked. If the minimum of 8.5 per cent solids-not-fat content was lowered to 8 per cent it would greatly assist the problem here, and the reduction in quality would be negligible. he said. Whether or not 8.5 per cent was a reasonable figure should be a major consideration in the issue, said Mr G. A Franks. This was the

New Zealand average, and; one which areas with a worse: climate than Canterbury' seemed consistently to' achieve. Farmers here, however, got; away with milk of inferior quality, and “she’s all right, let ’er go.” would continue to be the attitude of Canterbury producers as long as they did get away with it. Mr Franks said. Premiums, Penalties “The only way to overcome this is to pay premiums to farmers with good herds, and have penalties for those who don’t have good herds." He said a laboratory could be needed in the future so that the board could make its own tests. Dr. L. F. Jepson said the Department of Health was not in favour of any reduction in the quality of milk required for Christchurch, compared with the rest of the country. He objected to a suggestion by the chairman (Mr R. G. Brown) that failure by the department to prosecute Canterbury producers supplying sub-standard milk encouraged them to make no improvement. Dr. Jepson said the average failure to meet solids-not-fat requirement was marginal, and the department preferred not to take action so long as milk was not adulterated. Crops and herds could not be changed at the flick of a switch, and the board must not adopt measures like the Gestapo, said Mr Brown. “We are impatient to effect a change, but it would not do to go off the deep end,” he said. The Health Department had set 1965 as the date when improvements should be noticeable. The board was doing all it could to hasten improvement. A letter from the New Zea-

land Milk Board said the board was still considering the problem in Christchurch and was examining proposals which might improve the position. The Department of Agriculture was also investigating the problem in the Christchurch area, the letter said. The meeting resolved to ask the national board for information on its proposals.