Milk quality in the consumer era

Authors: Elliott REW
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 28, Issue 6, pp 105-107, Jun 1980
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Cattle, Livestock, Production animal, Ruminant
Subject Terms: Animal production/wastage, Mammary gland/udder, Milk, Quality/assurance
Article class: General Article

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Abstract: New Zealand produces only 1.6 per cent of the world`s milk. But the big producers - the EEC, Russia and the USA - aim only to satisfy their own needs and so only about 4 per cent of the milk produced finds its way into international trade as dairy products. New Zealand provides a third of this 4 per cent and thus a small producer ends up playing a dominant role in international dairy trading. Each international trader in dairy products must live with the fact that 20 per cent of potential sales are satisfied by free food aid. When so much dairy produce is given away the effect on marketing strategy is virtually inevitable we must aim for the top end of the market where buyers are affluent but very selective. As customers, they insist on getting what they asked for: as consumers they demand protection from hazards they didn`t ask for. As traders, we have had to learn that continuing access to the markets depends on quality…

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