MILK WASTAGE
Sin,—It seems a pity that the Minister of Food has disregarded in his scheme the hundreds of small farmers in outlying districts who can supply milk from surplus from time to time, but whose supplies are not regular enough for them to take on registered customers.
The farmer who takes my pig swill has just offered me 2 gallons of milk daily for a few weeks and as my milk supply is terribly limited I asked him to obtain permission from the local Food Office to be able to do so. The reply was that he could not supply milk to anybody who is not a registered customer, and so excellent milk that might have been consumed by human beings, not obtaining the admitted minimum necessary to maintain health, must be fed to pigs. Incidentally, it is interesting to note that prior to rationing this surplus was made into butter by the farmer's wife. She is debarred from doing this also.
To allow such milk or butter to be sold from time to time would certainly mean that a few people would enjoy more than others for a limited period, but nobody would be any the worse off.
The Ministry of Food obviously has no use for such milk in its scheme. The quantity is not as negligible as they would have the public suppose ; is it reasonable for them to rule that it should not be consumed by anybody either as milk or butter?—Yours truly, SYLVM GRAY.
Bay Tree Hotel, Burford, Oxon.
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