PRODUCERS CONGRATULATED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 72, 11 May 1945, Page 5

PRODUCERS CONGRATULATED

SEASON'S TARGET IN SIGHT ] A MAGNIFICENT RESPONSE Speaking at the Whakatane Ward Conference of the Dairy Board Mr W. E. Chairman of the Board congratulated dairy farmers on the magnificent response they had made during the present season 'to meet the urgent request from Great Britain for increased production. They had more than fulfilled the industry's objective for the season and it looked as if butterfat supplied to factories would have increased by the end of the season by between 11 and 12 per cent, compared with the previous season. That meant that ? after making full allowance for produce consumed on the local market, the industry would have made available an extra 2(1,000 tons of butter and 10,000 tons of cheese. Although that had been achieved partly because of favourable seasonal .conditions, it had meant a very great effort and sacrifice to overcome all the disadvantages that laced the industry. Among other things, for instance it meant saving all the cows that would normally have been culled but which could be kept on as reasonable milkers. "I can indicate the success of the dairy farmers' effort in that direction," said Mr Hale, "by telling you that cow killings for the year ended February 2S ? 10-13, fell by 94,000 as compared with the previous year. This shows the tremendous efforts that dairy farmers made to overcome the shortage of cows due to replacement stock not being availand the added load they had had to carry through milking what would otherwise have been cull cows." It was unfortunately still true ( that the Government did not appre-

ciate the industry's difficulties in connection with manpower. On several occasions in recent, months the Board had drawn the Government's attention to the l'act that the ..drive for increased production, which the Prime Minister had asked tliera to undertake last year ? was for a three year period and not just, the one year. -'The urgent requests at. present coming l'rom Europe indicate how serious it will be if this three year objective is overlooked " said .Mr Hale. "The need of the United Kingdom and our Allies for foodstuffs during the coming season is desperate and we must therefore do everything possible to increase production."