Quality Of City’s Milk

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31091, 21 June 1966, Page 1

Quality Of City’s Milk

If the Christchurch Metropolitan Milk Board insisted on an 8.5 per cent solids-not-fat content in the town milk supply, consumers would have to pay an increased price out of proportion to any benefits, the chairman of the Committee of Supply (Mr E. F. Stokes) said yesterday.

Dairy-farmers were aware of the low solids - not - fat levels for the Christchurch area and were anxious to improve the situation, but so far it had not been possible to provide a year-round supply which met the arbitrary the law, Mr Stokes said.

Farmers had agreed to a penalty scheme whereby they would be charged Id a gallon for milk with a solids-not-fat level of less than 8.35 per cent and 2d a gallon for less than 8.20 per cent. Mr Stokes was speaking at a conference yesterday between the Committee of Supply and the Christchurch Metropolitan Milk Board to discuss the solids-not-fat issue. The conference, suggested by the Minister of Health (Mr McKay), was presided over by the principal of Lincoln College (Dr. M. M. Bums). Representatives of the departments of Health, Scientific and Industrial Research, and Agriculture, the New Zealand Milk Board, and Lincoln College also attended. “Unacceptable” The chairman of the Christchurch Milk Board (Mr H. E. Denton) rejected as “absolutely unacceptable in the interests of the public” the suggestion that milk powder be added to gub-standard milk. He charged the Committee of Supply with failing to cooperate with the board in dealing with the solids-not-fat problem and hiding its dealings with other authorities on its proposed penalty scheme. “We have had no cooperation at all from the committee about the penalty scheme,” Mr Denton said. Mr Stokes claimed that the appropriate authorities had only recently approved the scheme. Committee’s Work In a prepared statement at the beginning of the conference, Mr Stokes said the Committee of Supply had fulfilled the main function in providing Christchurch with an adequate supply of goodquality milk. "We have replaced a fluctuating supply, with periods of shortage and the danger of rationing which once existed, with a stable supply,” he said. “In spite of a fall in the number of suppliers and the cost-price squeeze, the growing market has been met with increased efficiency. ”Tb has been eradicated, and the supply is free of brucellosis. It is only on solids not fats that our efforts can be questioned.” For many months of the year the standard of solids not fats was above the legal requirements. When it fell below the requirements, it did so only fractionally. “Even in the lowest period the deficiency is not such as to be of any significance to public nutrition, which in terms of money amounts to one-fiftieth of a penny a person a day.” “Basic Cause” Mr Stokes blamed the long, cold 'winters and droughtaffected summers as the basic

cause of the solids-not-fat problem. Although low-cost pastoral farming was not fully available, production costs had been kept within the limits of reasonable farm ecenomy, and the public had been adequately served without a further increase in the present “extra” selling price of )d a quart above the New Zealand standard price. " To overcome the problem, pin-pointing of weaknesses in feeding, breeding, or management, and the correction of these, were needed. “The committee feels that the most that can be hoped for is a slow improvement, and it does not regard the all-year-round attainment of 8.5 per cent solids not fat as a practical proposition.

“To insist on the standard can only lead to the replacement of natural milk by milk which has been standardised “It can be achieved by methods which are in fact used in countries whose authorities are as health-con-scious as those in New Zealand," he said. “We Will Fight” Mr Denton told the conference that producer organisations had a monopoly of town milk supplies and must accept the responsibilities as well as the protection of such a monopoly. “My board is satisfied that the great majority of consumers do still want whole milk. We will fight tooth and nail any additions to the milk supply. We look at any offer

to improve the solids-not-fat level by artificial means as unacceptable. It would be the thin edge of the wedge to lower the standard rather than raise it. It is the easy way out with unforeseeable consequences.” Mr Denton reminded the conference that the Minister of Health had clearly stated that he would insist on the penalty-payment scheme for low solids-not-fat milk by next September.

Referring to the "tyranny of the decimals,” the manager of Canterbury Dairy Farmers, Ltd. (Mr L. R. Fowler) said that of the total annual production of about 12 million gallons of milk for Christchurch 4.055 million gallons was substandard. Since 1961, the average solids-not-fat content had varied between 8.36 and 8.51 per cent. He said that every farmer on the town supply at some time or other during the year had milk which fell below the acceptable level. Asked whether the culling of dairy herds would help, Mr Fowler said that if 10 per cent of every herd was culled the average solids-not-fat content would rise only 0.3 per cent. One farmer present said he had chosen a cow for culling, but its production the following week was such that this could not justifiably be done. Summary Summing up, Dr. Burns listed the following points,

The committee said the milk supply should be fortified by the addition of milk powder, to which the Milk Board was strongly opposed.

The committee proposed penalty payments to provide technical assistance. This was a new chapter in the problem, and should satisfy the Milk Board. To achieve the 8.5 per cent solids-not-fat level there must be an increase in the costs of production. This was important, arid should be noted. There should be a fuller measure of co-operation between the parties in getting more Government help for research.

which, he said, had become paramount:— The Committee of Supply had done an outstanding job in ensuring a supply free of tuberculosis and brucellosis. The solids-not-fat level was not met for several months of the year. The Health Department, New Zealand Milk Board, and Christchurch Milk Board were deeply concerned and wanted to take legal steps. The Committee of Supply said it was unrealistic to prosecute, as it was not economically justifiable to meet the required level.