Plans for bulk milk schemes to be brought forward by Milk Marketing Board (1965)
Developments in bulk collection of milk in Northern Ireland, which would bring the scheme within the scope of a new size group of producers, were outlined by Dr George Chambers, general manager of the Milk Marketing Board, during this week in 1965, reported Farming Life.
Dr Chambers was addressing a meeting of milk producers at the board's headquarters at Antrim Road, Belfast.
“For many years,” he said, “there was relatively little interest in bulk collection in Northern Ireland and it was felt that there was little room for expansion of the system because of the small scale of milk production of the majority of our milk producers.
“In the past 18 months, however, there has been a rapid move forward and we now have schemes operating in the Crumlin area and in South Down and South Armagh, as well as the original schemes centred on Ballyrashane and Rossdowney, in Londonderry.
“In addition, the board have approved a new scheme centred on the Saintfield area. Discussions are also going on about starting a scheme in another part of the country where bulk collection might not normally be thought of - in the Killen area in Co Tyrone.”
Declaring that there had been a new surge forward in the existing schemes in recent months, Dr Chambers said: “A factor which will aid development In the future is the very recent decision by the board, with the approval of the Ministry of Agriculture, to allow collection In bulk schemes to take place on alternate days in appropriate cases.
“This will bring bulk collection within the scope of a new size group of producers.
“The technical staff of the board are also keeping in close touch with other developments such as the use of small mobile tanks that may be wheeled out to the roadside find the collection of milk from such tanks, and even from cans, by means of passing tankers.
“All these developments lead one to believe that there is much more of a future for bulk collection in Northern Ireland than was thought to be the case a few years ago.”
Dr Chambers said that a very controversial issue which had arisen in discussions about the future of bulk collection was the question of varying the standard transport charge according to the size of the producer.
At that time all producers paid a flat charge per gallon regardless of the number of gallons involved.
He said that it had been suggested that large producers should pay a lower rate per gallon.
He remarked: “This is likely to be one of the highly controversial issues in milk circles over the next 12 months.”
As it was the first occasion of a large-scale visit of producers to the board’s head office since it was opened in June, 1962, producers were taken on conducted tours of the building. They showed particular interest in the work of the central laboratory and also the automatic data processing department, where a new computer is about to be installed.
Mr R B Martin, a regional board member, chaired the meeting and introduced the platform party.
Dealing with the development of sales of liquid milk, Mr J K Lynn, chairman of the board, said the approach of the Price Review was a timely reminder of the vital importance of this work because, “at the negotiations, increases in sales in the liquid market are taken into account when determining the Standard Quantity - the amount of milk attracting the guaranteed price”.
He added: “Since 1960 the Standard Quantity for Northern Ireland had risen from 95 million gallons to the present figure of 99.3 million gallons, an increase worth over £1 million to Northern Ireland milk producers.”
Mr Lynn stressed the link between increasing sales of milk in the liquid market and the board’s payment on quality scheme – “with its emphasis on nutritious solids-not-fat – to encourage the production of high compositional quality milk.
He said he was happy that complete agreement on the details of the new total solids scheme had been reached with the Ulster Farmers’ Union and other interested parties. The scheme, he declared, would represent “just about the most equitable system of payment of milk quality that it was possible to devise”.