§ Mr. Purbrickasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will set out in detail the steps taken by the Department to secure the production of cows' milk in a clean and healthy condition, stating the various; regulations laid down for this purpose and for that of the distribution, whether for manufacture or retail purposes, by his Department?
Mr. HudsonThe administration of regulations as to the production of cows' milk in a clean, healthy condition is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health. But my Department is now administering a scheme under which milk shall be tested at the point of first delivery as to its keeping quality. The scheme is devised to ensure that sour milk shall be kept off the liquid milk market, and particularly that sour milk shall not be bulked with clean milk and thus contaminate considerable quantities on the way to the consumer. In the case of all samples of milk found by the test to be unfit for the liquid milk market, notification is made to the relevant county war agricultural executive committees in 1725W order that arrangements may be made for the producers concerned to be visited and advised on how their method may be improved. This scheme does not replace any existing legislation with regard to milk. In administering it my Department is assisted by an Advisory Committee consisting of representatives of this Department, the Ministries of Health and Food, the County Councils' Association, the N.F.U., the Milk Marketing Board, and the Central Milk Distributive Committee. I am sending to my hon. Friend a copy of a memorandum on the scheme which has been sent to consumers, milk depots and dairies. Regulations with regard to the distribution of milk are the concern of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Food.
§ Sir P. Hurdasked the Minister of Agriculture what progress has been made with the milk testing scheme; what are its scope and method; and what means are being taken to bring within it milk depots and producer retailers?
Mr. HudsonI hope that by the end of this month all the larger creameries, milk depots, and dairies will have been equipped and staffed for the purposes of the Milk Testing Scheme. All milk put aside by the platform examiners at those centres is submitted to a ten-minute test and classified according to its keeping quality. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of a memorandum on the scheme recently sent to milk collecting depots. Plans are being made to bring the smaller collecting centres into the scheme. Milk testing in the case of producer retailers presents special problems, and experiments into the best means of dealing with this are being made.