BUTTER-FAT IN CHEESE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4846, 29 June 1925, Page 1

BUTTER-FAT IN CHEESE.

PROTEST AGAINST PERCENTAGE. STANDARD TOO HIGH. An emphatic protest against the percentage oi muter-fat in cheese ic<liui cd by the .Government standard uas voiced at the annual meeting ot inc Kangiotu branch pi the Dairy r aimers union. Mr w. H. Gimblett, president of the brunch, who. presided, stated that a lemn had peen sent by them to the provincial conference concerning toe amount oi butier-fut in cheese. A‘l Knew, he said, that at present factories put an unnecessary amount oi butler-fat into cheese and that, when no extra price was realised, meant a serious less to the dairy farmer. He maintained that 4 to 5 points of-but-ter-fat were put into New Zealand cheese without any payment for it. The average amount of butter fat in milk for making Danish cheese w.as 3.33 to 3.6 ; in Canada 3.5, and in New Zealand 4 and over. He thought that the Government should no longer ask for so much butter-fat in cheese. The speaker read a letter from Mr Singleton, of the Dairy Division, stating that it was unlawful to.,,send cheese for grading unless it. contained 50 per cent of solids. It was an offence to attempt to export cheese not coming up to the high standard. The. Government regulation might have been all right 30 years ago, but now .they used richer and better milk and the industry was unnecessarily penalised. He advocated very storngly lighting the attitude of the Government, and to pursue the matter through the winter.

Replying to Mr F. C. Raiker, the chairman said that it had been stated that 75 per cent, of 1 the New Zealand dairy farmers were going in for Jerseys, and if they were going to produce the richest milk, .and yet be asked to make chese pf such hign butter-fat content, the industry could not stand it. The bompetitors of New Zealand were not making cheese of such high butter-fat content, yet got 10s, 15s, and 20s more for it. New Zealand cheeks stood high in the worid’s market, ami was regarded as bettor than Canada’s.

Mr.-. Ferguson said . that if cheese was. properly stored and made from milk with a 3.5 test it was unite satisfactory.

“We are in a new age now, and must, alter—the Government must not adhere to old standards,” said th» chairman, adding that if they could not succeed to a great extent in influencing the Government they could do a vast amount by advertising their cheese. A visitor to . England said that all sorts of cheese but New Zealand’s were advertised at Home, where the Dominion’s product' was sold as “English Cheddar.” They now had the Dairy Cnotrol Board to act for. them,, and New Zealand cheese would sell on its merits if given a chance.

“On a 3.5 test you get the highest yield, and the test would vary at certain parts of the season,” said Mr. Beard, who advocated the standardisation of milk, and added that a test for solids might meet the position. It was agreed by Mr Dixon that standardisation was desirable, and tlie chairman commented that the best cheese and the best keeping sortwas that with# 3.6 butten-fat. Cheese with a greater proportion than that was not regarded as the liest on the market.

At the conclusion of the meeting the matter was again discussed, and it was decided to ask a Government officer to address the local farmers on the question of the amount of butter-fat required in cheese. It is explained that, the standardisation of milk referred to above means separating the rich milk of the fall of the year to bring its. btuter.-fat content down to the required average.