PRODUCE IN BRITAIN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 21029, 13 November 1931, Page 12

PRODUCE IN BRITAIN.

NEW ZEALAND BUTTER TRADE DEMAND SLIGHTLY EXPANDING. CHEESE AND BACON BUSINESS. " I was pleased to hear from big importers handling New Zealand butter and cheese (hat (lie demand for New Zealand butter is steadily expanding, and (hat there is a more regular trade week by week throughout the year than was the case only a few years back," writes Mr. Eliot ft- Davis in Ihe course of observations on the market in England. " I was very interested in seeing the wonderful regularity of the supplies from Denmark week by week," Mr. Davis continued. " The changes in quantity moved in a regular fashion as the seasons changed, but owing to the intensive winter production it is surprising how little the quantities vary." Mr. Davis was told that considerable improvement had been made in the spreading of shipments from New Zealand, and the arrivals were much better than they were a few years ago, but the irregularity, when shown in weekly arrivals over the year, was still extraordinary, the. quantities jumping up and down, in many cases 50 to 75 per cent.. This great variation in weekly arrivals meant that the butter had to" bo kept, in cold store and spread over by the importer or retailer, as it could not for one moment be imagined that the?e irregular quantities were actually consumed promptly week by week as they arrived. Difficulty of Regulation. The consumptive demand was a much more regular quantity and did not show great variation week by week, said Mr. Davis. It must, of course, be appreciated in New Zealand that, in the first place, by holding bark shipments with a view to spreading the quantities, and again on arrival in England by holding back with a necessity of spreading deliveries, that there was a large proportion of New Zealand butter that was not sold anything like as fresh as (he Danish, which was practically all consumed week by week as it, arrived. " While I am told that New Zealand butter stores perhaps better than any other imported butter, it. must still be realised that butter deteriorates to a greater or lesser extent all the time it is being held over, and this is a handicap which New Zealand has to face on account of its geographical situation," said Mr. Davis. " The aim should bo to do everything possible in shipping to allow (ho butter to arrive here as nearly as possible in regular quantities, and it is pleasing to note that considerable progress in this direction has been made.

I gathered that, the. general quality of New Zealand butter is satisfactory, hut in many casr>3 there is an absence of flavour, which perhaps comes from overneutralisation. On the. whole, however, the reports concerning butter look good." Complaints About Cheese. Cheese, on the other hand, had not enjoyed the best of reputations during the past year or two. and he heard of many complaints of poor quality, dry and badcutting cheese, which rapidly deteriorated after the cheeso was cut on the shopkeeper's counter. "I am told that considerable investigation is taking place in New Zealand with regard to these faults, and importers hero are anticipating a general all-round improvement in qualify during the next year or so," he said. " With regard to tho bacon trade, and the possibilities of the New Zealand pig industry, I was discouraged at the rather poor prospects for bacon pigs, owing to the immense production of bacon in the principal European countries which ship here," Mr. Davis continued. " Prices at the moment range about 5d per lb., and I was told there was very little prospect of prices reaching over 6d per lb. for some time to come. New Zealand pigs have, on the whole, pleased, and are well spoken of, but th? bacon that is manufactured from them has to compete with current imports from European countries."

There was a murh brighter outlook for the fresh pork trade from New Zealand, and it would seem farmers would be well advised to go in for breeding and marketing a pig that would turn out dressed Weight, from 701b. to ,1001b. Owing to Government restrictions in England, pork was not allowed to be imported from Europe, and consequently this market was much more open to New Zealand, and should be taken advantage of. Farmers should feed these young pigs well, so ns to bring them to their required weight ns quickly as possible, and with quick marketing and regular breeding, the industry would bo a valuable accessory to dairying.