asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he will state (a) the daily consumption of milk in Dublin City and County and the urban district of Bray; (b) the quantity supplied by registered milk producers and creameries; (c) the percentage of creamery supply pasteurised; and (d) if any experiments have been carried out to test the nutritional value of whole milk as compared with pasteurised milk; and, if so, the results of such experiments.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin City and County Milk Supply.
The estimated average daily consumption of milk in the area referred to is 44,000 gallons. The supply comes mainly from registered producers and the average quantity supplied by such producers is approximately 39,000 gallons per day. A certain quantity of milk is obtained from creameries all the year round and from other creameries specially licensed during the winter periods when the supply in the production area falls. The average daily quantity supplied by creameries is nearly 5,000 gallons. All the milk obtained from the creameries is pasteurised locally. No experiments have actually been carried out in this country to test the nutritional value of pasteurised milk as compared with whole milk, but from the evidence available of the results of such experiments in other countries there is no significant difference in nutritive value between the two types of milk. In some cases the advantage is shown to rest with raw milk and in others with pasteurised milk. Any differences in results of tests were, however, of no statistical significance.