'A fair price': Farmers urge supermarkets to expand milk levy

Australian dairy farmers are pushing the big supermarkets to put a 10 cent levy on all milk, while independent suppliers remain cynical about drought relief approaches from Coles and Woolworths.
Share on twitter
Share on facebook
Share on linkedin
Share on whatsapp
Share on email

A Change.org petition launched by Queensland Dairyfarmers organisation calling for all milk at Coles and Woolworths to be increased by 10c per litre was approaching the 110,000 signature mark on Monday.
Farmers from across the country are also calling for a guarantee from the supermarkets that a temporary fee on home brand milk will go directly back to milk suppliers.
The big supermarkets have unveiled plans over the past month to help farmers in drought-affected areas by applying extra fees to some home brand milk items. However, critics including Agriculture minister David Littleproud have questioned why the levies only applied to a few products across the supermarkets and whether all suppliers will get a cut of the funds raised.
Dairy farmer Steve Ronalds said Mr Littleproud showed «a pretty gutsy effort» by standing up to the big supermarket players.
Mr Ronalds co-owns independent milk producer Gippsland Jersey, based in the Victorian town of Warragul. The brand distributes its milk IGA stores as well as in about 20 Woolworths outlets.
But Gippsland Jersey is one of several dairy brands unimpressed by the big supermarkets’ pledges on drought relief, given the pressure already caused by low price home brand products.
«Every dairy farmer deserves a fair price, and there just shouldn’t be a dollar a litre milk,» Mr Ronalds said.
The current approach to milk levies is confusing and shoppers aren’t sure what to buy, said Rachel Rohan from advocacy group Daughters of Dairy Farmers.
«We believe it’s deliberately confusing to the consumer,» said Ms Rohan, who operates a dairy farm at Kerry in south-east Queensland.
«By only applying the levy to their own brands, it’s splitting the market.»
Both Ms Rohan and Mr Ronalds believe the best way to support farmers through drought is to focus on name brand and independent products.
Woolworths would not be drawn on whether it would increase the price of all supermarket milk. Its drought fees currently apply to Woolworths’ branded $2 and $3 milk.
However, it said it had started to deliver funds from its levy to drought-affected suppliers.
«The first drought relief payment from this effort went out to more than 280 Queensland, New South Wales and Northern Victorian dairy farmers on the 15th October and more will follow in the months ahead,» a Woolworths spokesperson said.
Coles said it was committed to giving all farmers affected by drought access to its relief fund, regardless of whether they supply milk directly to the supermarket. But it said a key cohort of shoppers depend on low-cost milk.
«Based on data from Dairy Australia, a 10c per litre levy on all fresh milk would cost Australian consumers $250 million a year – a cost that would fall disproportionately on the 40 per cent of households who have only $150 a week to spend on their weekly grocery shop,» a spokesperson said.

Mirá También

Así lo expresó Domingo Possetto, secretario de la seccional Rafaela, quien además, afirmó que a los productores «habitualmente los ignoran los gobiernos». Además, reconoció la labor de los empresarios de las firmas locales y aseguró que están «esperanzados» con la negociación entre SanCor y Adecoagro.

Te puede interesar

Notas
Relacionadas