SWING TO BUTTER

Taranaki Daily News, 30 August 1935, Page 14

SWING TO BUTTER

THE POSITION IN CANADA EFFECT ON DOMINION CHEESE. For years past cheese manufacture has generally returned the New Zealand dairy farmer a higher price than butter with the result that there has been a swing over from butter to cheese, particularly in districts where loading facilities would permit of thQ cartage of whole milk over a reasonable area. Of late, however, butter has. been returning the fanner a higher price thaii cheese, and that, together with the fact that in addition the farmer also has the skim milk, which in some case? yield? an extra price for casein, and even whep used on the farm has a higher feeding value than whey, has caused several dairy companies in Taranaki as elsewhere to turn again to the manufacture of butter. That factor, by tending to reduce the quantity of cheese manufactured in the Dominion, should result in cheese commanding a higher price than has been the case recently. Particularly is this likely to occur in view of the position in Canada, where of late years there has been a very decider swing over to butter. Admittedly the quantity of lower grade cheese manufactured from the surplus milk on the British market has influenced the price that New Zealand cheese has commanded on the British market, but the reduction in the quantity of New Zealand cheese should create a greater demand for the quantity that is shipped to England particularly if the New Zealand dairy farmer concentrates on quality. The development of the dairy industry in Canada is very ' interesting. The manufacture of cheese is giving place to the manufacture of butter. At cne time Canada was the principal supplier of cheddar cheese ..to British markets, but New Zealand has quite ousted her from that position, now supplying about four times the Canadian total. Last year Canada exported 147,671 boxes less than during 1933, the decrease being equivalent to about 13,000,0001 b. This is the smallest quantity during any year since 1888. On the other hand the production of butter increased by 12,216,1561 b or 5.6 per cent, greater than in 1933. The increase in the production of butter in Ontario and Quebec alone last year was equivalent to more than 15,500,0001 b of cheese, while the decrease in cheese production in all Canada was about 13,000,0001 b. Thus the increase in butter production in only two provinces more than offsets the decrease in cheese production for the whole country. The satisfactory feature of the Canadian position so far as New Zealand is conceded is that while butter is displacing cheese the big increase in butter production is not going , to the English market. Exports of butter last year only amounted to 428,3001 b, compared with 4,327,2001 b in 1933. and of the amount exported last year only 4001 b went to Brita;n and this, was some experimental butter. The reason for this is that Canada is developing as a manufacturing country and is capable of ~bsorbing more of its farm produce. It is expected that with the increased proouction of butter, prices for this will rule at a lower range of values ■ than at present. The Government is, therefore, urging Canadian dairy farmers to cull out their low-pro-ducing, and definitely unprofitable, cows, a policy which should be preached and practised in all countries at the present time.