BRITISH DAIRY FARMERS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 October 1938, Page 3

BRITISH DAIRY FARMERS

A HAWKE’S BAY VISITOR’S IMPRESSIONS. INCREASED PRODUCTION. Dairy farmers in Great Britain at present are doing fairly well according to information contained in a letter from Mr A. M. Robertson, of Hastings. He had arrived at this conclusion despite the fact that from conversations he had had with several dai.rym.en he learned they were receiving only lOd a gallon for their milk. The whole of a dairyman’s output of milk is taken by the Marketing Board. Mr Robertson writes that they cannot keep pigs because they have no skim milk or buttermilk. Indeed they are left with very little for the rearing of calves and are not permitted to sell any to retailers direct. In travelling through both England and Scotland Mr Robertson experienced difficulty in obtaining milk from farm houses, for roadside snaks. Some interesting figures relative to the position were contained in an article published in the Glasgow Herald on August 19, and which is reproduced here. “The volume of production of milk in July increased both north and sputh of the border as compared with July of last year. -.The increase undpr the Scottish LJ.iJ.k Marketing Scheme was almost 4 per cent, but. in the case of the schema applying throughout England and Wai.es the increase was fiiUy 3 per cent. It will be recalled that the English Board was conceded an extra 4d per gallon qppn its standard price, thjjs concession being an outcome of the applications made for higher price? for producers in June and July to conxp.en33.te for th,e effects of drought upon the pastures. The application was tpo late for June, byt was conceded for July. 21d GAIN FROM 4d INCREASE. The English Board’s standard price for that month thus advanced to Is 5d per gallon, with 2d extra for tubercu-lin-tested milk. Production rose from the 84,521,177 gallons produced in July of last year to 91,492,008 gallons, of which 53,058,421 were sold liquid (against 50,499,151 gallons in July, 1937) and 38,433.387 were manufactured (against 34,022,026 gallons). The large North-Western region produced fully one-fourth oft he total output of the English scheme, its supply for July amounting to 23,372,449 gallons, which is nearly double the total July gallonage of the Scottish MilkMarketing Scheme. The latter’s July turnover, now revealed in the official newsletter, amounted to 13,086,364 gallons, against 12,587,057 gallons in July of last year, and against 13,355,720 gallons in June of this year. Of the total Scottish sales 6,414,625 gallons or 49.02 per cent, were absorbed in the liquid market, and fi,671,739 gallons, or 50.98 per cent, were manufactured. Liquid sales through the board increased by 3.24 per cent compared with those of July last year. The experience under the English scheme serves as a reminder that an increased standard price is not necessarily passed on to producers in full measure owing to the pooling system as, between both liquid and manufacturing sales. Whereas the English Board’s standard price was 4d per gallon above that of July of last year, its average pool price over the 11 regions for nonAccredited milk was 12jd, compared with lOd for July of last year. Thus the producers’ pooled rate was 2Jd higher, or IJd less than the increase in the Board’s selling price for liquid milk. YEAR’S PROGRESS IN T.T, MILK. The Scottish Board’s newsletter points out that the higher cost of the T.T. bonus upon the pool for last month was due to some extent to reduced sales of T.T. milk under the milk-in-schools scheme on account of the school holidays. Estimated sales of T.T. milk in June amounted to 2,533,473 gallons, which is one-fourth of total supplies for that month. Farm-cheese output in July was less than last year’s, 1,166,700 gallons being used compared with 1,415,663 gallons last year. In England and Wales, on the other hand, farm-cheese output was greater last month than in July of last year. Almost one-seventh of the total roll of producers under the Scottish scheme now have T.T. herds, the number being 1092, against 538 at this date last year. The county of Ayr leads easily with 512 T.T. herds.

Cheese prices are not so high as a year ago, the prices for the board’s output ranging from 65s to 69s per cwt. for White Cheddars and Dunlops, against 68s to 75s per cwt. a year ago.”