FUTURE OF DAIRY PRODUCTION

Southland Times, Issue 24237, 21 September 1940, Page 16

FUTURE OF DAIRY PRODUCTION

MARGARINE AND BUTTER

Discussing “repeated references to the decline in butter consumption in the United Kingdom, and what will happen to our produce after the war,” Mr W. ,G. Macartney, chairman of directors of the Tai Tapu Co-operative Dairy Company, Ltd., said at the company’s annual pee ting that he had no fear that the price level for butter would not be on a basis that would enable suppliers to produce the article and show a profit, if costs were reasonable.

“I am satisfied that butter has an important part to play as a human foodstuff,” Mr Macartney said, “and while people may be misled by the statement that the public of the United Kingdom is not consuming the eightounce ration, it is well to remember the facts.” “The average per capita consumption of butter in the United Kingdom, which reached its maximum in 1934-35 of 25.211 b, declined to pre-war figures of approximately 241 b per capita. The ration of Boz a week means a per capita consumption of 261 b and it is reasonable to expect that if this figure was not reached in peace, then with higher costs as obtain for all commodities in war, the spending power alone of the people would result in a reduced per capita consumption of butter. “I think suppliers can take comfort from the fact that butter as a foodstuff has a value which cannot be replaced by margarine, and I believe that the post-war demand throughout Europe will be so great that there will be plenty of scope for both margarine and butter to fulfill the varied requirements of the people of the' United Kingdom and Europe.”