DAIRY INDUSTRY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 05, Issue 65, 15 June 1942, Page 5

DAIRY INDUSTRY

DROP IN PRODUCTION WARTIME CONDITIONS "The 1941-42 season, now drawing to a close, shows a substantial drop in production, mainly due to unfavourable climatic conditions and to a lesser degree by some farmers going out of dairying because of shortage of labour and other difficulties due to the Avar,"' states tlie annual report of the National Dairy Federation. The 1939-40 season produced 133,303 tons of butter ami 93,696 tons of cheese, but for the 1940-41 season increases on these iigures were 6141 tons of butter and 25,203 tons of cheese. In butterfat equivalent, the increase was 10.353 per cent over the previous year.

The increase in cheese over butter in 1940-41 was almost entirely due to the effort to produce' the 160,000 tons of cheese requested by the British Government. The Federation, however, reports that "while this objective is not likely to be fully utLained tills season because of poor producing conditions, the effort has been most praiseworthy, and the present organisation is such that there should be no difficulty in producing the desired quantity next season, provided climatic conditions are normal.' 0

Following a 5 per cunt increase in aware! wages ol' dairy workers, the Government granted a "war cost" allowance for the 1942-13 season. The basic purchase price lor 1942-13 season -was increased to 15.39 cl per lb for butler and 8.73 d per lb for cheese. prices representing payments to suppliers of Hi. !!)d per 11) /'or luiltorfat for IniUcr, and IS. J!)d per lb for bulterfat for cheese.