The information summarised in the report was obtained by personal
interview in each period with nearly 3,000 retail traders in 18
towns, representative of all classes of trade and types of business.
2. In 1929, nearly 61 million cwts. of butter were imported into
the United Kingdom and, on the basis of the 1925 estimate, probably
less than one million cwt. was produced at home. The chief sources
of supply were Denmark 34 per cent. of the total import, other
foreign countries 24 per cent., New Zealand 20 per cent., Australia 12
per cent. and the Irish Free State 9 per cent. In all, the imports from
the oversea Empire together with the home production were
approximately equal to the imports from foreign countries.
Most of the supply of butter from Australia and New Zealand arrives
in this country during the winter and early spring ; Irish supplies
are at their maximum in the summer, and the European imports also
increase during the summer months, These variations approximately
balance, and the total imports are spread fairly evenly throughout
the vear.
3. The following table shows the percentage of shops stocking the
various types of butter at the two periods :(—
Percentage of Shops Stocking.
Type of Butter.
Danish .
New Zealand
[rish ..
Australian
Argentine
Finnish ..
farm ..
Siberian ..
Swedish ..
Ukrainian .,
Others ..
Bulk-Blended
Packeted
First Survey.
(April-June)
3
25
19
i)
9
20
Second Survey.
‘Tulv-September )
23
29
5
1