Edition Bobbett1. Texts by Elizabeth F. Bobbett: 1.1.3. Correspondence, Letters to newspapers

1937 Elizabeth Bobbett: Letter to the Wicklow People, 20.02.1937

Butter Production

On reading in Wednesday’s “Independent” of the reported shortage of Saorstat creamery butter, and the suggestion that consumers would be obliged to use margarine or jams, I would like to bring the following facts before the public: The creameries were established to manufacture butter, but now many of them are supplying whole-milk to the city of Dublin, with a consequent drop in their production of butter. Now, since the Milk and Dairies Act came into force last November there seems to be a surplus of milk in Dublin; for instance, a farmer who usually supplied 60 gallons of milk daily in winter months to a distributer is now put on a percentage basis, and the distributor will only take 25 gallons; even farmers formerly supplying 20 gallons are now cut down to five gallons. Let me suggest a remedy. Restrict the creameries to manufacture butter instead of engaging in the whole milk industry in the city, and immediately through the Press inform the farmers that the levy on farmers’ butter will not be resumed. This would give the farmer who would have surplus milk some security to know he would have a free market for his butter in the Saorstat at a reasonable price. Many farmers went out of butter production when the levy of 4d per lb was put on their butter and went into the whole milk industry. This, coupled with the fact that hundreds of farmers went into the milk industry when the economic war destroyed the cattle trade has created chaos. Being a country with a surplus of milk the suggestion of the traders that we should import butter seems farcical, and we hope the Minister will listen to the farmers.