AUSTRALIAN BUTTER

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4605, 4 October 1934, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN BUTTER

REGULATION OF SHIPMENT. Several important decisions in regard to butter marketing were reached at meetings of the Australian Dairy Produce Export Board in Sydney last week. The board decided to regulate the shipment of Australian butter to the United Kingdom, as was done last year, to provide a more even and continuous supply of butter to that market. The regulation will be put into operation early in November. At a previous meeting of the board it was decided that, in order to take full advantage of the extensive advertising campaigns carried out in Great Britain, and to meet the growing demand for Australian butter from the outports, arrangements be made with overseas shipping companies for a regular steamer service to those ports. With the view of developing this trade the board decided to appoint an organiser for twelve months, whose duty it will be to arrange for refrigerator freight space in the various steamers, and also arrange with butter and cheese exporters for quantities to be shipped by each steamer. Mr. R. McKellar (of Melbourne) was appointed to this position. The board unanimously agreed that the manufacture of low grade butter in Australia was detrimental to the dairying industry of Australia, and it was decided to confer with representatives of the Commonwealth Equalisation Committee and Australian Dairy Council as to the best method of disposing of that class of butter, so as to prevent it from being sold over the counter, either in Australia or Great Britain as best Australian butter.

The conference was held on Tuesday at which there was a very large attendance of representatives from all States, who agreed that the manufacture of low grade was harmful to the industry on account of its effect on the reputation of Australian butter generally. A committee was appointed to comprise three representatives from each of the Australian Dairy Produce Export Board, the Australian Dairy Council, and the Commonwealth Equalisation Committee, to meet at an early date and furnish a report to a further joint conference.

Consideration was given to the regulation dealing with f.o.b. and c.i.f. sales, with a view of allowing shippers to the outports of Great Britain an extension of time between the date of sale and the time butter must be placed in cold store at port of shipment. It was decided that, in the case of sales to outports, shippers to be allowed 28 days after date of sale to place butter in cold storage, instead of 14 days, as provided under the existing regulation, and the necessary amendment will be made to permit of this being done. Particulars of the new regulation controlling f.o.b. sales adopted by the New Zealand Dairy Produce Board, which came into operation on August 1, were submitted and discussed, and will be again considered at a later meeting, when further details are received from the New Zealand board.