by Hanako Tokita
Where is the butter? — cry Japanese consumers who have been hunting everywhere for the dairy product. The drastic reduction in raw milk production, complicated by hikes in the price of grain as well as changes in the global patterns of dairy product consumption, have caused a serious butter shortage in Japan. Empty shelves in the dairy section of grocery stores across the country have not seen a shipment of butter for days, and stores are posting signs apologizing for the shortage.
While many bloggers complain about the shortage and the inconvenience caused by it, the blogger at Bebe Kobo, who operates a small-scale family-run dairy farm, gives their insight into the problems the dairy farmers are facing, which have resulted in this butter shortage:
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ãれより以å‰ã¯è„±è„‚粉乳ã®å‡¦åˆ†ã«å›°ã‚Šã€çµ„åˆã‚’通ã˜ã¦ã‚»ãƒ¡ãƒ³ãƒˆè¢‹ã»ã©ã®å¤§ãã•ã®è¢‹ã«å…¥ã£ãŸè„±è„‚粉乳を酪農家ã¯å¤©å¼•ãã®å½¢ã§è²·ã‚ã•ã‚ŒãŸã‚Šã€ï¼ˆç¾åœ¨ã§ã¯ä¿¡ã˜ã‚‰ã‚Œãªã„ã‘ã©ï¼‰å¹´æœ«ã«ã¯å¤§é‡ã®ãƒã‚¿ãƒ¼ã‚’ã“ã‚Œã¾ãŸå¤©å¼•ãã§å¼·åˆ¶çš„ã«è²·ã‚ã•ã‚Œã¦ã„ã¾ã—ãŸã€‚
The consumption of milk has been stagnant, and in 2006 milk was seen being disposed of in Hokkaido. Also, a large number of cows were slaughtered.
Before that, they could not get rid of powered skim milk, so dairy farmers were forced to buy powered skim milk in big bags the size of cement bags, such that the cost was deducted from their pay checks through the co-op. Also, at the year-end, they were forced again to buy a huge amount of butter with money deducted from their pay check (which seems unbelievable today).
牛乳ã®æ¶ˆè²»ã®ä¼¸ã³æ‚©ã¿ã€‚ã“ã®åŽŸå› ã¯ã„ãã¤ã‹ã‚ã‚Šã¾ã™ã€‚ã„ã‚ã„ã‚ãªæ¸…涼飲料ãŒå¢—ãˆãŸã“ã¨ã€å°‘å化ã§å¦æ ¡ã§ã®ç‰›ä¹³æ¶ˆè²»ãŒæ¸›ã£ã¦ ã„ã‚‹ã“ã¨ã€ã‚¢ãƒ¬ãƒ«ã‚®ãƒ¼ã€ãã—ã¦ã‚¢ãƒ¬ãƒ«ã‚®ãƒ¼ã§ã‚‚ãªã„ã®ã«ç—…çš„ã«ç‰›ä¹³ã‚’悪者ã«ä»•ç«‹ã¦ã‚‹ä¸€éƒ¨ã®äººã€……………。ã²ã©ã„ブãƒã‚°ã ã¨ç‰›ä¹³ã‚’ã‘ãªã—ãŸã‚ã’ã酪農家ã¯ç„¡ã ãªã‚Œã°ã‚ˆã„ã€ã¨æ›¸ã„ã¦ã„ã‚‹ã‚‚ã®ã¾ã§ã‚ã‚Šã¾ã—ãŸã€‚
ã“ã¨ã«2005å¹´4月ã«ã‚µãƒ³ãƒžãƒ¼ã‚¯å‡ºç‰ˆã‹ã‚‰ç™ºè¡Œã•ã‚ŒãŸæ–°è°·å¼˜å®Ÿè‘—ã®ã€Œç—…æ°—ã«ãªã‚‰ãªã„生ãæ–¹ã€ã¨ã„ã†æœ¬ã€‚物凄ã„ヒットã§ã—ãŸã€‚
ã“ã‚ŒãŒé…ªè¾²å®¶ã ã‘ã§ãªãã¾ã¨ã‚‚ãªå¦è€…も怒りã ã™ã»ã©ã¨ã«ã‹ã「牛乳ãŒæ‚ªã„ã€ã¨ã„ã†ä¾¡å€¤è¦³ã§æ›¸ã‹ã‚Œã¦ã„ã¦ã€ãŸã ã§ã•ãˆæ¶ˆè²»ãŒä¼¸ã³æ‚©ã‚€ç‰›ä¹³ã«æ±ºå®šçš„ãªãƒ€ãƒ¡ãƒ¼ã‚¸ã‚’一時ã¯ä¸Žãˆã¾ã—ãŸã€‚
This book was written from a point of view that says that “milk is bad”, something which made not only dairy farmers but also sensible academics angry, and also critically damaged the image of milk that was already suffering the sluggish consumption.
[…]
2006å¹´ã«ç‰›ã‚’大é‡å‡¦åˆ†ã—ãŸãƒ„ケã¯ç¢ºå®Ÿã«æ¶ˆè²»è€…ã‚’ç›´æ’ƒã—ã¾ã—ãŸã€‚ãã®ã²ã¨ã¤ãŒãƒã‚¿ãƒ¼ä¸è¶³ã§ã™ã€‚
å牛ãŒä¸€äººå‰ã«ãªã£ã¦ç‰›ä¹³ã‚’出ã›ã‚‹ã‚ˆã†ã«ãªã‚‹ã«ã¯æœ€ä½Žã§ã‚‚2年以上ã‹ã‹ã‚Šã¾ã™ã€‚
自然ã®æ‘‚ç†ã«é€†ã‚‰ã†ã“ã¨ã¯ã§ããªã„ã®ã§ã™ã€‚
The consequences of mass slaughtering of cows certainly hit consumers directly. The butter shortage is one of these consequences.
For a calf to grow old enough to produce milk, it takes more than 2 years.
You cannot go against natural law.
乳製å“ã¯åŒ–å¦è£½å“ã§ã¯ã‚ã‚Šã¾ã›ã‚“。å¥å…¨ã«ç‰›ã‚’飼ã†æ§‹é€ ãŒæ©Ÿèƒ½ã—ãªã„ã¨ä»Šå¾Œã‚‚ãƒã‚¿ãƒ¼ä¸è¶³ã®ã‚ˆã†ãªã“ã¨ã¯é »ç™ºã—ã¾ã™ã€‚
消費者ã®çš†æ§˜ã®ã”ç†è§£ã‚’心よりãŠé¡˜ã„申ã—上ã’ã¾ã™ã€‚
I sincerely ask you consumers for your understanding.
Then in a different entry posted on a later day, the blogger lists the major factors cause the current butter shortage.
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例ãˆã°ç¼¶ã‚³ãƒ¼ãƒ’ーãªã©ã§ã‚‚最近ã¯è„±è„‚ç²‰ä¹³ã‚ˆã‚Šç”Ÿä¹³ã‚’åŠ ãˆãŸã‚‚ã®ã®æ–¹ãŒå‘³ãŒè‰¯ã„ãŸã‚ã€é£²ç”¨ä¹³ãŒãã¡ã‚‰ã«å›žã‚Šã€ç”Ÿä¹³ä¸è¶³ã«æ‹è»Šã‚’ã‹ã‘ã¦ã„ã¾ã™ã€‚
Also, because skim milk is produced when butter is made, if powdered skim milk cannot be sold then stockpiles build up, creating a situation in which the quantity of butter produced cannot be increased all at once.
For example, things like canned coffee taste better when fresh milk is added instead of skimmed milk, and so the supply of fresh milk is diverted for this, intensifying the fresh milk shortage.
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