PRODUCERS’ SERIOUS LOSS

Taranaki Daily News, 24 July 1931, Page 10

PRODUCERS’ SERIOUS LOSS

BUTTER USED FOR BLENDING. GOVERNMENT SHOULD ACT. “The New Zealand dairy farmers are losing heavily through their superior butter being used to blend inferior makes in England,” declared Mr. .T. R. Barrer, of Masterton, to the Dominion on Wednesday. “The question is so serious that I consider it shoiild be taken up by the New Zealand Government with the Home Government. What is the use of our farmers going in for the best pastures and carefully grading their butter for export if it is simply going to be blended with inferior products from other countries ?’ Mr. Barrer produced a copy of the London Times of June 1, in which the following letter appeared above the signature of A. M. Martineau, of Sunny Corner, Ascot: — It would be interesting to know what proportion of “dairy butter,” so largely sold in the shops, is purely English.

When in Argentina, some years back, I was taken over a butter factory. The butter was pure and clean, but over-worked into a greasy mass, and when I criticised this I was told that, as it was exported to England for blending purposes only, this was the best way of working it. The socalled “dairy butter” is always soft, owing doubtless to this; whereas a pure New Zealand butter has much more grain and a harder texture. Recently, when asking for New Zealand butter at one of our great chainstores, I could find none with a New Zealand brand on the wrapper. I was told, in an important manner, that they only sold their own New Zealand blend, which I refused to buy. Now that, in addition to the thousands, of tons of Argentine butter yearly imported into England, we are. to have Russian butter as well, can it not be made' compulsory that all blended butter should have the “mixture” clearly stated at the time of buying? Dairy shops are doing the same thing, and it is only right that those who wish to buy our Colonial produce should be able to do so. .... This had brought forth the following reply from Mr. John Wood, of 53 Lexden Road, Colchester:-— Any family grocer in any town or village can, and as a rule will gladly, supply Mrs. Martineau or any of your readers with * all English creamery butter, churned daily. This is totally different from the ‘'blended” butter which she truly says is largely made of ' Argentine and other already made butters, mixed at large factories, which are entirely different from creameries. Family grocers will also gladly supply guaranteed unblended New Zealand butter. , J XT. X ' It was true, Mr. Barrer proceeded, that it was possible to purchase guaranteed unblended New Zealand butter in some English shops, but the bulk of the Dominion blitter was used for blending purposes at Home. “Why,” he asked, “should not a customer be able to procure any brand of butter he prefers, in English shops? If he asks for Russian blitter, he should get it, and if he asks for New Zealand butter he should be served with it. . “The question is so serious to the Dominion that I consider it is the duty of the New Zealand Government to take the matter up promptly with the British Government. The New Zealand Dairy Board does not mind so much what becomes of our butter so long as they can find a purchaser for it. The loss to New Zealand annually must be enormous, and it is little use our taking pains to turn out the highest class butter if it is going to be used to tone up inferior productions at the other end.”