DAIRY-FARMERS’ PART

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 281, 22 August 1940, Page 5

DAIRY-FARMERS’ PART

Increasing Production For

Britain

Dominion Special Service.

FEILDING, August 21

The part that dairy-farmers will be called on to take in meeting the Government’s call for increased production was referred to last night by Mr. C. G. C. Denner, at the annual general meeting of suppliers of the Cheltenham Dairy Company, Ltd. After dealing briefly with the struggle the British Empire was now engaged in, Mr. Dermer counselled the dropping of all political differences’ and personal considerations in meeting the menace of Nazism. The full force of the threat to the Empire bad not yet fallen on the dairy industry of New Zealand, thanks to the watchful and efficient British Navy, but he felt sure that heavy sacrifices eventually would be demanded from all, and that when they came the dairyfarmers of this country would be prepared to take their full share. Mr. Dermer referred to the needs of the Mother Country for more foodstuffs of certain kinds, and as these were all the products of dairy farms, he said, he was confident that all farmers would make every effort to supply England’s needs. Among other things, England had asked for an increase of at least 15,000 tons of cheese, and also that the butter output should be maintained at its present level. Whether both commodities could be produced so largely depended much on the weather, but it was clear that the cheese would have to be provided oven nt the expense of butter. However, as the 1.5,000 tons required meant only an additional Sib. of butterfat a cow for the total cow population of the Dominion, it should not nrovc very difficult providing the right effort was made and seasonal conditions were favourable. The diversion from butter manufacture to cheese might bring about some difficulties for butter factories, but up to the present the Cheltenham company had not been affected to any great extent, Mr. Dermer concluded.