asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if there is any means of ascertaining why there are discrepancies between butter fat tests carried out by creameries and those carried out by the public analysts; if the same method of testing is used in each case; and if he will describe the method or methods used.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Butter Fat Tests.
51.
At creameries, a sample of a supplier's milk is taken on each day of the sampling period, which is a fortnight or a month depending on the time of year. The daily samples are combined and preserved until the end of the sampling period when they form a composite and representative sample of the milk delivered by that supplier during the period. The exact procedure to be followed by creameries in this matter is prescribed in the Milk and Cream (Calculation of Price) Order, 1928.
If there are discrepancies between the results of tests carried out by creameries and by public analysts, they could arise either from the fact that samples are not identical or that the method of testing used by the public analyst is not as prescribed by the Order.