PURE MILK SUPPLY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22539, 2 October 1936, Page 10

PURE MILK SUPPLY

Napier Borough Council is inaugurating an important health reform by insisting that milk delivered in the town shall in future be drawn only from herds certified by test as free from tuberculosis. In Auckland the Milk Council has

not yet proceeded so far, although the Hospital Board for the last 18 months has drawn its supplies from a tubercular-free herd. The council has taken the view that adequate pasteurisation offers a sufficient safeguard, a view supported by medical opinion. It has also devoted

a good deal of attention to cleaning up the milk supply and is reported to be producing considerable improvement. At the same time it falls short of the ideal of pure, unpasteurised milk from tubercular-free herds. Practical difficulties probably prevent the realisation of that ideal. Consider, for instance, what may happen at Napier. The milk of cattle barred by test from town supply will probably be sent to a dairy factory for manufacture into butter or cheese for local or overseas consumption. This sequel is not as inimical to health as it seems, because milk or cream for cheese or butter is pasteurised, and thus, according.to medical opinion, freed of infection. Nevertheless the fact is not pleasant to contemplate. The best solution is that suggested by Professor W. Itiddet and Dr. E. Marsden, the complete elimination of tuberculosis from dairy herds by a national scheme. They claim that, "of all countries, New Zealand probably could most easily effect complete eradication of animals affected with tuberculosis, because of the small amount in the country." They suggest that the campaign should be spread over a few years, and emphasise the strong selling point this would offer in advertising our dairy produce in Britain, where milk from tubercular-free herds is sold at a premium. In addition, the stamp-ing-out of bovine tuberculosis would pay farmers in the long run and would remove parental prejudice against using milk in children's diet as freely as it should be used. The realisation of the ideal of pure unpasteurised supply would also be brought within reach.