Quality of Butter On Local Market

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 192, 14 August 1941, Page 6

Quality of Butter On Local Market

MINISTER EXPLAINS Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Aug. 13. In an interview, the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. J. G. Barclay, commented on the statements suggesting that there was widespread dissatisfaction with the quality of the butter being placed on the local market, and which was patted through the Internal Marketing Department. “At the present time,’ said tho Minister, “it is undoubtedly true that tlie quality of the butter being placed on tho local market is more uneven than during the remainder of the year, but the statement that ‘much of it is not fit to give to a dog’ is an absurd exaggeration of the position.” ' Mr. Barclay said that no butter which was graded below first grade was allowed on the market, and it was therefore quite untrue to stato that inferior butters were being marketed as first or finest. At the present time of the year there was no* sufficient quantity of first grade, freshly-made butter available to supply the local market, and tho balance had to be made up from withdrawals from export freezer stock. It had been found, over a period of years, that certain quantities of butter withdrawn from tho freezer at this time of the season and graded as first or finest revealed a tendency to deteriorate slightly after patting. Agricultural scientists were making every effort to overcome this difficulty.

The Minister emphasised that this tendency was quite beyond tho control of the Internal Marketing Division, and was an industry problem long before the department assumed the responsibility of patting butter for the Wellington market. “In short, the position is that the local market in £few Zealand is supplied during the present months with the maximum quantity of best, freshlymade butter available, supplemented by the best butter available from export stocks,” said the Minister, “Any variation in the quality of the butter now being placed on the local market is strictly of a limited, temporary nature, and in the main the local market is supplied with the best quality butter produced by the industry and every care is taken by tho Internal Marketing Division to ensuro that all the factors within its control are carefully watched to maintain the highest possiblo standard.”