RACE FOR QUALITY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21975, 9 June 1933, Page 6

RACE FOR QUALITY

AUSTRALIAN BUTTER STANDARD TYPE SUGGESTED. In butter and cheese the price-fall first called for quantity production; then it called even more loudly for quality production. And thus the depression will lead to permanent improvement —it will strengthen those it does not ruin. In Australia they are candid about butter and cheese defects, and in the weeding out of such defects, they see some blessing in this lean time. Thus spoke Mr \V. Laffan, Commonwealth senior grader, [ to a gathering of dairy factory managers in Sydney. The uses of adversity may not be sweet, but it has uses. Hitherto unthought-of methods, said Mr Laffan, were now being studied by farmers and managers. Assuming a butter was selected as the ideal standard, the methods of the factories in particular districts obtaining samples approximating the standard should be carefully studied. He stated that, comparing the ten months periods ended April 30, this year Australia exported 20,704 tons of butter, as compared with 18,009 tons last year. Of the total number of cases packed as choicest by the factories, namely 770,694, 82.75 per cent,, or 637,780 cases remained as choicest on the. grading floors. This was a better percentage than, last year, but not equal to the percentage, 87.11, graded as choicest in 1930-31.

Considering the new regulations in New Zealand making the grading of milk and cream compulsory, it is interesting to hear from the New South Wales senior grader, Mr A. M. Brown, that in his State the amount of inferior cream supplied to factories bad been abnormally large, giving cause for grave concern to many managers. The types of off-flavours prevalent in the raw product suggested that the faults were within the power of the suppliers to control and rectify. Present circumstances necessitated that producers supplied choicest cream. Mr Laffan said that for a number of years no cheese had been exported from New South Wales to the United Kingdom. This season a total of 1000 crates had been despatched, of which 24.97 per cent, was graded choicest. The quality left a good deal to be desired, and the colour was too pale for the requirements of the English market.