REMOVING WHEY.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20177, 4 March 1931, Page 6

REMOVING WHEY.

A SOUTHLAND PROTEST. A bad practice that is showing signs of increasing in Southland at the present time is that of removing whey from the dairy factories in milk cans (says an exchange). Although 'not actually prohibited' by the dairy regulations, this ■ practice is looked upon with the strongest disfavour by the Dairy Division, and factories have been circulated with what amounts practically to a demand that it should not be permitted.

Most factories have a reference to the matter in their Articles of Association, but some directorates appearto be prepared to ignore the regulation, or openly permit its contravention in "an endeavour to secure more suppliers or retain those, they already possess. In tho majority of cases, the regulationtreads something as follows: "Suppliers to the factory ■ will be permitted to carry home in milk carts their daily proportion of whey conditionally on their providing, for this purpose, secure and suitable vessels, and only on conforming to . this condition will individual suppliers be butitled to the privilege. Any supplier committing a breach of this condition will immediately have the privilege withdrawn, and will not again be permitted to take away whey unless at the discretion of the directors, and only°3&ezi' upon the directors being satisfijed'!ltiat the offending supplier has made satisfactory provision to comply with and abide by the conditions. The desire on ■ the part of the suppliers to make use of the whey for pig feeding, and other purposes, is to be commended, but it is essential, Jf the quality of the milk supply is to be maintained, that separate containers should be used. The whey usually stands for close on 24. hours in the whey tank—seldom a vessel of very "prepossessing gathers bacteria all the time. If it is then> put into the milk cans and ccnWyed\to the farm, it is only to be expected that some of the bacteria will come into contact with the fresh milk if the cans are. not thoroughly sterilised. This process is usually carried out/ at the factory where there is an abundance of steam and boiling water,, and the value of the operation would be negatived by the whey being put into the cans immediately after. It is necessary that factory directors should combine in a movement to exercise a rigid prohibition on the removal of whey in milk cans, and thus, remove one of it's chief Causes, that the next factory ' permits it > and suppliers will transfer their allegiance elsewhere.

Southland reports are to ttje effect , that- there ; will> be a large living of' ryegrass -in that province this season. . Although the season .in 'Southland comjnenced a week later than usual — or not until late in January—the Southland Frozen Meat Company's works have'handled a'larger quantity of lambs to date than last season. This is . largely .due to increased capacity at the Makarewa works, but the' operations so < far indicate that more lambs have been | got away in' the first' draft from the mothers than in previous seasons/ while i many farmers have been successful, in getting away a second draft from the' ewes as a result of delays in shearing.