DAIRY SUPPLIES IN N.Z.

Southland Times, Issue 24228, 11 September 1940, Page 6

DAIRY SUPPLIES IN N.Z.

EFFECT OF CONTROL ORDER

POSITION EXPLAINED BY MINISTER

ORIGIN IN REQUEST FOR MORE CHEESE (Special to The Times) WELLINGTON, September 10. The effect of the Dairy Supply Control Order made on August 19 under the authority of the Primary Industries Emergency Regulations was explained this evening by the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. W. Lee Martin). The Minister said that it was evident that some misapprehension existed as to the effect of the order and that it was desirable that the actual position should be stated clearly. The order had its origin in the request of the United Kingdom Government for additional supplies of cheese from New Zealand. Representatives of the Dairy Board and departmental officers, with, the assistance of local committees, had been successful in arranging for the large number of dairy farmers who had previously been supplying cream to butter factories to change over to supplying whole milk to cheese factories in their vicinity.

There were, however, a number of dairy farmers who considered that it was unfair to expect individual suppliers to make the change voluntarily while other suppliers, who could equally easily transfer from a cream supply to a whole milk supply, were left free to refuse to take part in what was a national war-time effort on the part of New Zealand.

It was therefore decided that power should be delegated to the Director of the Dairy Division to require any dairy farmer who was supplying cream to a butter factory to supply whole milk to a cheese factory. The power so delegated would be exercised only in cases in which the supplying farm was conveniently situated in relation to a cheese factory, and in which no undue hardship would be imposed on the supplier.

TRANSFERRING SUPPLIES It was obvious, said the Minister, that it would be unreasonable to require a supplier to transfer from a butter factory to a cheese factory unless corresponding action were taken to ensure that a dairy farmer who had been supplying whole milk to a cheese factory should continue to do so. It was reasonable, too, that a butter factory which, because of the diversion of supply to cheese factories, had lost an appreciable portion of its intake should be afforded a measure of protection to enable it to retain its remaining cream supply. The Dairy Supply Control Order was made for the purpose Of meeting these needs. Under this order, continued the Minister, tire occupier for the time being of a farm 'from which whole milk was supplied during last season to a cheese factory was required to continue to supply whole milk to that cheese factory from not less than approximately the same number of cows as were milked last season, unless exemption was granted by the Director or Assistant Director of the Dairy Division.

SALE OF SURPLUS STOCK “No exemption is required in the case of a dairy farmer selling surplus dairy stock,” said the Minister. “In the ordinary course it is only in cases in which a dairy farmer wishes to change over from supplying milk to a cheese factory to supplying cream to a butter factory, or in which he wishes to give up dairying wholly, or in part, to take up sheep-farming or for some other reason that it is necessary to apply for exemption. “Every reasonable application for exemption will receive prompt and sympathetic consideration. There is ho desire to place any obstacle in the way of genuine applicants. The stole purpose of the provision is to guard against deliberate and unreasonable evasions by individual dairy farmers of a duty that has to be accepted as such by the • industry as a whole.” I The Minister explained the effect of I the clause relating to the protection of I certain butter factories. “This clause,” he said, “provides that if a butter factory has Idst more than 2| per cent, of its intake (based on last season’s figures) to cheese factories, its remaining cream suppliers and their successors in the occupation of their respective farms are required to continue to supply cream to that butter factory from not less than approximately the same number of cows as were milked last season. They are also prohibited from transferring any part of their cream supplies to another butter factory, though they are at liberty to transfer to a cheese factory.

GRANTING OF EXEMPTIONS “It would be unfair to permit a butter factory that had suffered no loss of supply to take supplies from a neighbouring butter factory that had been appreciably affected by the campaign for increased cheese production. Here again, provision is made for the granting of an exemption in any genuine case in which a dairy farmer wishes to give up dairying wholly or in part, or wishes to supply cream to a ‘ different butter factory. Applications for exemption under this heading are to be

made to the deputy-chairman of the Executive Commission of Agriculture. “All applications for exemption, whether by cheese factory suppliers or by butter factory suppliers, may be made in the first instance through the local dairy instructor of the Department of Agriculture. This procedure will save time, for it will enable the instructor’s report to be forwarded with the application which, in the majority of cases, will then be dealt with immediately.”