[Report 1937] / Medical Officer of Health, Lanchester R.D.C.

  • Lanchester (England). Rural District Council.
Date:
1937
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1937] / Medical Officer of Health, Lanchester R.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    45/62 (page 41)
    The Administrative County had issued 43 T.T. Licences (i.e. 28 Producer-Retailers and 15 Producers) and 357 Accredited Licences (i.e. 101 Producer-Retailers and 256 Producers). At Low Muggleswick Farm, registered for buttermaking, the stock was subjected to a Tuberculin Test, and in every instance passed 100%, a most remarkable occurrence. The intention of the Owner was merely to produce Attested stock for supply purposes. It will be appreciated that considerable time, travelling and much propaganda and advisory work is always involved in getting producers to the final stage for licensing, as buildings, stock, fees, etc., are all involved, and of course, the financial side must be the deciding factor. Every item which offers an advantage plays an important part in convincing prospective producers of the worthiness of such a step, and it is quite right that the individual who wishes to produce the better article should not have restrictions put in his way. Unfortunately, for some obscure reason, in the application of the various Acts and Orders, he has to “ pay for the privilege,” while the ordinary producer has not the same standard to maintain nor the same obligations to fulfil. A reversal of such conditions, whereby fees applied until premises and producer reached a requisite standard would appear more reasonabe, and would certainly speed the time when raw milk production would attain the standard aspired to. A big difficulty met with is, that legislation makes the tenant responsible for building alterations and improvements, and while some Owners are helpful, other -cases exist where this co-operation is absent. Some good would accrue if this feature was amended in that an Owner, who lets a farm for dairying purposes, would be responsible for the provision of suitable buildings and arrangements. The standard arrangement of buildings agreed upon some years ago, is being adhered to, with, of course, minor modifications as the individual circumstances demand, and while this has sometimes produced differences of opinion in the beginning, a little time changes such opinion to an expression of satisfaction respecting labour, time, cleanliness and general well-being. This position of standard has only been attained by an immense amount of co-operative work with the selection or rejection of ideas, until a basis was deduced, and now it is encouraging to find that the completed schemes are some of the most useful sources of propaganda.