QUALITY OF CHEESE

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 24 May 1932, Page 6

QUALITY OF CHEESE

NORTH ISLAND OUTPUT SOUTHERN COMPLAINT ‘SOMETHING RADICALLY WRONG’ Considerable space is devoted in the annual report of the South Island Dairy Association to the problem of improving the quality of cheese. Expressing regret at “being unable to record any great improvement in cheese quality during the year,” the report gives the grading results as follow : Finest. Fst. Sec. p.c. p.e p.c. Dominion 21} 76J 2J North Island 12 851- 21 South Island 61f 37£ } “We had hoped that with the abolition of ‘standardised’ cheese the North Island produce would show an appreciable rise in quality, but we find that the percentage of first grade has gone up only 3.j points from 8} to 12, continues the report. “The South Island percentage of finest has risen from 59 to 61f. which, in view of the high standard already attained is distinctly creditable

“It is obvious that there is something radically wrong in certain cheese producing districts in the north, and that drastic measures must be taken to remedy the position. The good reputation which New Zealand cheese possessed on the British market received a serious setback when the skimmed milk product called ‘standardised’ was foisted upon it, and if we are to regain the goodwill which previously obtained every effort must be made to raise the quality as far as possible, with the least delay. From the result of the past year’s gradings it is apparent to us that very little endeavour is being made in that direction by a large section at any rate of the producers in the North Island.” After discussing the need for a system of milk grading with differential payments, the report goes on to say that “the practice followed by many factories of paying, more attention to yield than to quality, and the rush methods adopted during the process of manufacture to get the job completed at the earliest moment are, to a large degree, responsible for so much of our cheese not grading higher. The adoption of a system of premium payments would discourage such practices, but to get the best results the scheme would have to embrace the whole Dominion. If it was confined to the North Island alone, the incentive to concentrate on quality would be much less because of the lower point required to be reached to secure a refund bf the levy imposed to meet the premiums and consequently in many cases the practice of going for yield would be more attractive.

“If the quality of New Zealand cheese was raised to a higher average level the demand on the Home market would increase, and a correspondingly better return to the producer would follow. The market value of South Isand cheese is depeciated because of the much lower standard of the Dominion output, and it cannot be wondered at that we feel we are being unjustly penalised because of the methods adopted by other 'sections of the industry. If the position is not rectified soon we should demand the right to send our cheese to the market under another brand. In 1926-27 when a premium was paid on ‘finest’ , cheese, under the Produce Board’s scheme, the percentage of ‘finest’ grade for the Dominon was 55.6. It now stands at 21.5, although the South Island can show 61.75. These facts surely are sufficient to warrant the of quality premiums.”