HANDLING DAIRY PRODUCE

Shannon News, 3 December 1926, Page 2

HANDLING DAIRY PRODUCE

- | 31 ITCH ROOM FOR IMPROVE- ! MENT. , INSPECTOR’S REPORT. j The following report presented by the New Zealand Dairy Board's refrigerating expert, Mr F. W. j Grainger, shows that there is much room for improvement in the handling of New Zealand butter and cheese in British ports. Mr Grainger’s report opens with tho statement:: The present methods of handling' and the general care of dairy produce at the various ports of discharge, both in London and on the West Coast ports, leave much room for improvement. In London the present practice is to discharge produce Into wharf sheds for sorting to marks, and submarks. Somo of these sheds are of corrugated iron, with glass skylights running tho length of the building, and consequently are very hot. A temperatdre of SGdeg. Fall, at 11.30 a.m. was registered on one occasion, \anci it was stated that it often reached 90deg. Fall, during the afternoon in the hot months. It. would be desirable to eliminate the sorting at the dock stores and take delivery direct ex tho ship into either railway insulated trucks or barge as may be decided, and have sorting done in cool sorting floor and transferred direct to cool store, thus cutting out the loss and deterioration which ht present occurs in the method of handling our produce, due to it being defrosted and again frozen. ■ . Inspection Required. Dealing with the need for inspection Mr Grainger states: — ‘•f feel sure ’it will be in the interests of the producers to have our own inspector to watch the handling of our produce at the point of discharge, to see if it is properly handled, and that it gels quick dispatch to pool store. During ray visits to the London docks, on -three separate occasions, 1 have been able to ascertain the actual cause of damage To produce Landed., In one case oamago was ,due to condensation from cheese stowed under air trunks; in another the butter was wet and dirty, , due to leaky brine grids and coal dust at time of loading. In the a large quantity of cheese decomposed, duo to drip from trays and excessive moisture.' In the above cases it was left to the ship’s surveyor, or, rather, wharf labourers, to pick Gut damaged cheese, and in the case of the I picked out quite a number of cases damaged which had been stacked a'.s good. A separate report on this shipment has been prepared. Had such an inspector been on duly this season it would have saved a con. siderable sum, as he would undoubtedly .have traced our produce to stores which are quite unsuitable, and also seen that prompt dispatch' front wharf sheds was made to cool store. Cheese Storage Bad. In the section dealing with the present storage facilities frank comment is made concerning the - conditions under which cheese in particular lias been held. Of one place it is said:— ■ ; No air, circulation is- provided, except that due to openings at either end, and although this would possibly be all right in winter, say, November, . December, January, February, it is wrong during the hot months, •At the time of our visit (September) the temperature ranged from 77 degrees to 68 degrees F. Tho ohcese was all more or less generally heated badly, ana some very far gone, having expanded out between tho battens. There was a large( quantity of New Zealand cheqse here. No doubt, high percentages of shrinkage could be traced to storage such as this, and one could not help contrasting the appearance of our cheese in this place with that of Canadian stored at a temperature of 50 degrees F.

It is doubtful if New Zealand dairy companies are aAvare that their produce is being subjected to such ■adA’erso conditions on this side. It certainly is undoing- all the good Avhich has been achieved in New Zealand and during transport. The reason it is used is, that it is much cheaper than cool storage, . hence merchants use it.

After outlining in debail the capacity and facilities of some ttveney stores in London and elseAVhere, the report, makes important recommt'i)dations covering negotiations for improvement in conditions and rates.