QUALITY OF MILK

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 82, 6 April 1944, Page 6

QUALITY OF MILK

ASSOCIATION CHARGED ' Seven charges of selling milk, which did not comply with the legal standards of butterfat content as prescribed in regulations under the Food and Drugs Act were preferred in the Magistrate's Court against the Wellington Dairy Farmers' Co-operative Association Limited. All the charges related to milk sold in the Hutt Valley. The hearing of evidence and legal submissions occupied Tuesday and yesterday, and decision was reserved by Mr. A. M. Goulding, S.M. Ten similar charges have been held over pending the decision. The majority of the evidence centred around the association's methods of handling the milk it received from dairy farmers, and it was stressed on behalf of the association that bulking and pasteurisation of the milk would result in its being less fresh when it reached the consumer, for milk collected at night would be delayed in delivery. Mr. D. R. Hoggard, who appeared for the association, submitted that the charges must fail because the association had exercised all reasonable care to ensure that the milk supplied conformed to the legal standards, and also submitted that the regulations under which the charges were laid were ultra vires because they, in effect, outlawed the, Friesian breed of cattle for milk supply and compelled the dairy farmer to strip the cow, which was no longer a standard practice. : J. J. Maher, chairman of directors of the association, said in evidence that he considered impracticable a suggestion by the Department of Health that all milk collected should be taken to the association's Epuni depot and bulked. There was a danger of one bad can spoiling a lot of milk. The association had made application to the Customs Department for a permit to import a pasteurisation and bottling plant. That was done last year, but no decision had been given by the Department or the Ministry of Supply. There was some difference of opinion as to who should operate the plant. The witness said he did not consider that bulking was safe without subsequent pasteurisation.

Dr. Hubert F. Smith, Medical Officer of Health, Wellington, said that the facilities for handling milk at the Epuni depot were very small, and it was not possible in his opinion for milk to be cooled as it should be. He considered that the milk should be bulked and cooled, the question of pasteurisation being subsidiary to that. Artificial means would be.necessary to cool the milk to the temperature, 40 degrees F., which he considered necessary-

He agreed that some, of the milk going into the bulking plant at the Wellington city depot reacted to the methylene blue freshness test in 15 minutes, and that milk which would not stand the reductase test for four hours also went in. On the average, the milk of the Hutt producers was excellent.

'Evidence was given by Dr. C. S. M. Hopkirk, veterinary surgeon and bacteriologist, Wallaceville, that in his opinion the methods of the association did not sufficiently guard against poor milk reaching the consumer. He favoured bulking, with cooling to 42 degrees. The cooling could not be done without a special installation. In cross-examination, witness agreed that bulking by individual producersuppliers was unnecessary. Mr. Hoggard asked the Magistrate to consider the case under section 13 of the regulations. The whole question was whether all the milk should have been taken to the depot and bulked, cooled, and recanned before distribution. He submitted it was better to escape the disadvantages of that, even at the cost of the odd can of low test which reached the public. The sending of low-test milk to the city milk depot was, in his opinion, illegal if the regulations were strictly read. Mr. H. R. Biss, who appeared on behalf of the informant, R. W. Pomare, an inspector of the Department of Health, said the dispute between the Department and the association was that the association's method of handling allowed milk below the legal standard to reach the public. The law allowed milk under the standard to be gent to the dairy factory. Nowhere in evidence was there anything to show the association had taken all reasonable care to prevent milk going to the public in defiance of the law.