NO BORIC IN BUTTER

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 125, 24 February 1928, Page 6

NO BORIC IN BUTTER

BRITAIN’S REQUIREMENTS NEW ZEALAND NOT AFFECTED OPPOSITION PROPAGANDA REFUTED Since January 1 of this year the British Health Authorities have required that all butter imported into Britain should be free of boric preservative. Recently certain cablegrams have appeared in the colonial press, giving extracts from, , amongst other sources, a paper termed “The Grocer,” published in Britain, which stated that, because of the absence of preservative in Colonial butters, they were suffering marked deterioration on removal from cold store, and that Britain “would evidently have to rely more and more on Continental countries, who will reap a glorious harvest at the Colonies’ expense.” This is regarded as propaganda, and its acceptance in the New Zealand Press at face value has occasioned some concern in dairy farming circles through the thought that New Zealand butter was affected. At Wednesday’s meeting of the Dairy Board the subject was very fully dealt with, and statements were made which should thoroughly reassure New Zealand dairy farmers on the point that their industrv is not in danger through the alleged inability of New Zealand butter to stand up to market requirements without the use of preservative. Action in Rebuttal. The chairman of the board, Mt. W. Grounds, reported that he had been in consultation with the Government on the question of countering this propaganda, which, while not specifically referring to New Zealand, did, by its general nature and apjdication to all Colonial butters, reflect adversely upon our product. The Prime Minister was fully alive to the need for countering this propaganda in Britain as directed to members of the British retail trade, and had communicated with the High Commissioner regarding action to refute the implication so far as New Zealand was concerned. The board had also instructed its London manager to collect information from the London importing houses regarding the keeping qualities of New Zealand unpreservatised butter after removal from storage, and use same for countering this propaganda. The fact of the matter was that for many years past New Zealand had been gradually abandoning the use of preservative, and the British prohibition imposed no difficulty whatsoever. In 1925 as much as 85 per cent, of our butter exported had been free of preservative, and with the ample warning given by the British authorities of the prohibition to operate as from January 1, 1928, the small balance had had ample opportunity to adjust itself. The probability was that throughout the whole of last year none of New Zealand’s export butter had contained preservative. As a matter of fact, New Zealand butter was the only butter which, through the perfect tion of manufacture and close at. tention necessary to stand the long voyage to Britain, had proved able over a long period of years to main, tain its quality after coming out of cold store. The new position created absolutely no problem so far as New Zealand was concerned, and dairy farmers need have no concern in relation to the adverse propaganda being issued from Contin. ental sources. Organised By Continental Interests. In his general review in the “Exporter,” the chairman dealt more fully with this question from the propaganda point of view, and cited evidence to show the presumptive connection of antagonistic Continental interests with the propaganda to create antipathy against colonial butters and check the movement in Britain for “Trading Within the Empire.” On the question of New Zealand’s ability to meet British reouirements of quality without preservative, Mr. Grounds said: “With the shipping and stoiage service at present given under the supervision of board officers, our good quality products will, without question, retain that quality, without preservatives, throughout any reasonable period of storage We have tasted unpreservatised New Zealand butter in London, after five months storage there, and its quality was as good as anyone could wish.” Confirmed by Mr. lorns. Mr. W. A. lorns, ex-chairman of the London Agencv of the Dairy Board, in discussion at the board meeting, thoroughly confirmed the view that this propaganda wholly originated from Continental interests, in an effort to check the growing demand foj Empire products. At the Birmingham Exhibition these interests were busv propagating the idea that colonial butters had to use preservative, and the propaganda now being cabled out, and used bv New Zealand papers, had no justification so far as this Dominion was concerned, and he was surprised at the matter being swallowed by the Press. The London correspondent of one weekly newspaper had written a very scarv article, which was thoroughly misleading and unjustified. New Zealand did not need to use preservative, was not in Lact using it, and onr butter was in demand by the trade simply because it was the only butter which would ' stand up to storage and retain its quality after storage. It was most important that this propaganda should be met and countered in Great Britain, and strong measures should be taken to that end. New Zealand dairy farmers need not have the slightest alarm as to their future being imperilled.