Calls to buy more expensive milk to help milk producers

tebbybabes on 20/05/2016 - 15:51

I'm seeing increasing efforts of people to try and help struggling farmers by promoting the purchasing of more expensive branded milk products rather than the cheap store brand milk.

I'm all for supporting the farmers but buying the more expensive milk just doesn't make sense to me. I've done a bit of googling and am still confused as to how buying more exxy milk helps. What I've gathered is that the supermarkets and milk processors are the ones dictating what price milk should be. How the heck does that make sense? Why can't a farmer just refuse to sell milk if the price is too low? Could an OPEC for milk producers be a solution?

I just the strong impression that whatever milk we buy, the extra price isn't going to the farmer anyway. It would just go to the milk processor. So what's the point??

Food & Grocery

Comments

        • zhenjie on 24/05/2016 - 21:39
          +2

          fats aren't evil

        • kryptoz on 26/05/2016 - 22:45

          Yes you would think so. However, if you do some research (eg. the link above), and you would be surprised to find that full fat milk is actually at least as good if not healthier than skim/skinny/light/lite milks. Though it is pretty much a dark secret in some food industries, contemporary science on fats shows time and again that fats are not all equal, certain fats are essential to good health, and many fats even some saturated fats are highly beneficial. Furthermore, substitution of good fat with hydrogenated vegetable/seed oils is linked to the current, continuing rise in obesity.
          Don't take my word for it, do your own research on current nutrition/diet studies.

    • macrocephalic on 23/05/2016 - 09:45
      +2

      Do you realise that homogenisation is just mixing the cream in - such that it doesn't sit on top? 2% and skim milk are comparatively "watered down" in that the cream has been taken off the top before homogenisation, but normal -full cream- milk is just the same milk all mixed together.

      • StewBalls on 23/05/2016 - 09:47

        Go taste some proper NH milk, then compare it to the diluted crap in the supermarket…then come back with your report…

        • macrocephalic on 23/05/2016 - 11:14
          +6

          I've had plenty of NH milk. The top part is great - because it's full of extra cream. Unless you mix the cream through, you're essentially making skim milk yourself by taking (skimming) the extra cream off yourself.

          No extra fat is added to NH milk, and no fat is taken out of full cream homogenised. They both have the same fat content.

          If you think NH milk is more creamy it's because the positive experience of the cream on top is stopping your from noticing the lack of cream in the rest.

      • belongsinforums on 23/05/2016 - 20:58

        I remember reading about how homogenized milk became the norm because of misinformed consumers

  • chumlee on 20/05/2016 - 21:22
    +6

    Most of this problem is due to sanctions on Russia which means Europe cannot sell its dairy products into Russia so have started selling into China which has lowered prices. There is an over supply of milk.

    • Charity on 24/05/2016 - 16:56

      bingo!

  • zappy32 on 20/05/2016 - 23:05
    +10

    The whole situation is stupid. Buying non supermarket milk brands isn't going to mean there's suddenly not a glut in the milk supply. Unfortunately unless China or another country starts buying more milk the least effiecient farmers have to give it up.

    For some reason people get very sentimentle about farmers having to adapt and change, no one else is guaranteed a job for life anymore.

    Just 2 years ago there were record profits in the dairy sector, according to this article in 2014 the average earnings per dairy farm in Victoria was $367,765. Okay, so it might not be profitable now but most of these farms have managed to earn a lot of money in the past and they need to re-invest some of these earnings to adapt to the current market and not just hope for business welfare.

    • tessel on 22/05/2016 - 13:44
      +3

      Couldn't agree more about the change. Plenty of other people have had to undergo massive change in the industry they work in and told to just suck it up, reskill and retrain. Obviously farming and anything food related can be a sensitive topic, but not sure why they deserve special treatment when other people are also struggling.

  • pjcook on 21/05/2016 - 07:41
    +1

    The issue currently hitting the dairy farmers is not being caused by the price of milk in Australia,

    The Dairy Farmers and Processors massively expanded production to meet the increased GLOBAL demand for dry milk products when the price was at around 5.5k per tonne. unfortunately for the Aussie Farmer and Producers, the rest of the world also greatly increased production. The price has now fallen to around 2.5K per tonne.

    The is exactly the same situation that has hit mining, the producers gambled on the global markets and lost. Self inflicted wound.

    The Australian milk sales account for around 6% of the sales so doubling or tripling the price of milk in the supermarkets isn't going to help them out of the hole they have dug for themselves…….

    This was disclosed in an interview with John Faine on ABC Radio on Wednesday Morning last week…. The numbers I have quoted are from memory but fairly close….

    • arcticmonkey on 22/05/2016 - 16:30

      "The is exactly the same situation that has hit mining, the producers gambled on the global markets and lost. Self inflicted wound."

      Yet mining receives huge subsidies costing billions:

      http://www.tai.org.au/content/what-have-state-mining-subsidi…

      • zappy32 on 23/05/2016 - 01:28

        Farmers also get a lot of similar subsidies like the diesel excise rebate. I wouldn't expect a dairy farm that's not making money to be paying much, if anything, in to government coffers. I'm not saying mining companies should get any hand outs but it shouldn't leave us in a net negative position.

        The bulk of the subsidies listed are to do with transports and ports yet the government is still making a profit on them. When you compare it to say the $900 per passenger subsidy paid for the Brisbane to Cairns rail link it makes a lot more sense.

      • pjcook on 23/05/2016 - 08:18

        I was not commenting on subsidies, I was commenting on attack on the supermarkets as the cause of the Dairy Farmer plight. The facts are that the supermarket price is not the cause of the current issues. It is the exposure to the Global market that has caused the issues. The $10..0 per litre prices in supermarkets has been in place for years now, if that was the case it would have been an issue before now.

        The Dairy Producers signed up to the T&C's in the contracts, if they failed to read and/or understand the risks then blaming the supermarkets is pointless.

  • MrMarket on 21/05/2016 - 10:06
    +4

    I only buy A2 milk, I want farmers to survive and make a decent living … Farming is hardwork and these people need to be supported and be rewarded

    It really simple to change retailer behaviour, don't buy their products, enough people do it they will change to adapt to consumer need … The trouble is people talk but don't take action

    • [Deactivated] on 23/05/2016 - 14:33

      My tummy doesn't feel gross after I drink it too

  • x2r9ypbj on 21/05/2016 - 10:18

    The Supermarkets are screwing Farmers left right and centre $1.00 per litre no one can survive at those prices,
    Boycott these Supermarkets until they raise the price of milk and pass it on to our Australian Farmers.
    Of course the trendy latte left wing set in the suburbs don't give a tosser
    Will Peta/Get up stand up and support our farmers.No doubt they won't

    • arcticmonkey on 22/05/2016 - 16:32
      +4

      What do you have against a nice creamy latte? Are you a bitter man who prefers a lemon tea?

      These job cuts and free trade agreements have been signed under the Liberal party watch.

  • [Deactivated] on 21/05/2016 - 10:25
    +8

    China was buying lots of milk. Then they were buying less milk. The milk companies decided that because less milk was sold than they thought would sell, that they should pay the farmers less per liter, and here's the kicker, they have Backdated the price change, so all these farmers are suddenly in debt to the milk companies.

    Now they are using struggling farmers as an excuse to advertise more expensive milk to you. Not helping the farmers really

    • belongsinforums on 23/05/2016 - 21:04
      +1

      I know that supermarkets have farmers by the balls, but isn't that just because those are the farmers that offered the lowest price in the first place? If so, that's like a hooker offering $100 for a good time, then complaining when the customers get uglier and uglier

      • [Deactivated] on 23/05/2016 - 22:48

        I don't think sex workers judge their clients on their looks. I think sex workers care about having respectful clients. I don't think offering a low price to get a contract is any reason for a corporation to mistreat you, nor is it an excuse. I think you might be blaming the farmers for the way supermarkets treat them and I'm not sure why.

        • belongsinforums on 24/05/2016 - 08:00

          Because the farmers signed a contract to secure the deal. Now they're complaining about the terms long after negotiation took place

        • [Deactivated] on 25/05/2016 - 09:07

          @tomkun01: but what if it's a choice between have a poor deal with supermarkets, and having a worse deal by yourself

        • belongsinforums on 25/05/2016 - 16:53

          @mnermner: sell your multi million dollar farm and retire on the profit? What do other businesspeople do when their company isn't making enough money for their liking?

        • [Deactivated] on 25/05/2016 - 19:07

          @tomkun01: i don't think that's how it works. If milk is cheap, then who's gonna buy the farm if it's not profitable? I know that suicide is actually a big problem for farmers who go broke. They put years of labor into these things, and their farms can be there homes, sometimes for generations, so something like that can be devastating.
          If farmers could just sell up and retire? We would have far fewer farms. Besides, i think the point of all this is that the milk company's mismanagement has put farmers in debt, so there would actually be no profit from selling, even if they could

        • belongsinforums on 25/05/2016 - 21:09

          @mnermner: Grandparents had a farm. They sold it. I guess they're magical or something

        • [Deactivated] on 26/05/2016 - 08:51

          @tomkun01: did they sell a milk farm while the price of milk was nothing?

        • belongsinforums on 26/05/2016 - 15:18

          @mnermner: milk is free now? Brb going to supermarket to get free milk

        • [Deactivated] on 27/05/2016 - 13:33

          @tomkun01: milk is free?! Can you pick me up some free milk

        • belongsinforums on 27/05/2016 - 17:37

          @mnermner: like you said, the price of milk is nothing

        • [Deactivated] on 27/05/2016 - 22:30
          -1

          @tomkun01: nothing is not free

  • [Deactivated] on 21/05/2016 - 10:56
    +6

    We just sold the largest dairy farm in Australia to Chinese.
    It covers most of norwestern Tasmania under farming gone,,like it just disappeared
    That represents a large part of the Chinese market that also just vanished.
    This is what you need to stop, put pressure on politicians about.
    You like paying $30 a kilo for steak,just wait till its $130
    The politicians are just riding this country into the dirt.
    Refugees are a symptom of corporate greed , nothing else
    Where are you and your kids going to go when they stuff this place up. SEQ is already overcrowded and polluted so don't even think there's some place that's got it all for you.
    I hear the Solomon's are nice maybe we can go (profanity) that up
    WAKE UP

  • Brendoo on 21/05/2016 - 15:08
    +2

    I'm curious about deregulation. Were the farmers better off under the regulated dairy industry where the Govt set farmgate pricing (the price the farmer receives) for milk? The price the farmers received back then (prior to 2000) was significantly higher than now. Or was that much worse because we could not complete globally and sell more milk due to our prices being too high?

    Seems to me that deregulation has been good for many years, but in recent times it hasn't been due to global conditions and oversupply of milk. Would the dairy industry like to be regulated again? i'm sure the Fonterra's etc would not like it at all, but maybe the farmers would? But for how long? If world conditions turned then a regulated industry takes a lot of your control away.

    It would also be nice to know when shopping at the supermarket, how much of the cost of each dairy item actually goes back to the farmer. It would allow us to make a much more informed decision when buying our milk and dairy products. Like the new product of Australia labels showing what percentage of a product is from Australia, it would be good to see dairy labels showing what percentage of the cost actually goes back to the farmer. But I guess Coles/Wollies etc want to keep that top secret so as not to highlight how badly they and the middle men screw over Aussie farmers.

    • ThirdRonnie on 22/05/2016 - 11:43

      As stated earlier, the farmers are getting 12 to 14c per litre.

      • zappy32 on 22/05/2016 - 16:23
        +1

        That's not really true though is it? They signed contracts stating they would get paid depending on the yearly global price of milk solids, that amount has now collapsed and therefore they have been overpaid throughout the year. That's the contracts that they agreed to. I'm sure it would have been a lot easier for milk processors to just pay an end of year amount on the value of the milk they have bought but wouldn't be so good on the farmer's cash flow.

    • Roman Sandstorm on 25/05/2016 - 14:59
      +1

      But I guess Coles/Wollies etc want to keep that top secret

      One point here: every retailer, for all time, has always wanted to keep their buy price and their profit margin secret from those they sell their product to. Don't blame a couple of big retailers for something that is a fundamental basis of a capitalist economy.

      Every seller wants to maximise their income, whether that means mass sales at lower cost, or fewer sales at higher cost.

      Your comment goes to the core of a market driven capitalist system. Now, if you are suggesting a paradigm-shifting change in that system, go ahead (and I'll probably be with you), but your argument to pick on these few players is just not valid.

  • coco1458 on 21/05/2016 - 16:00
    +4

    Farmers need to screw over the middle man and go solo.
    Create farm to door milk like back in the day, there is a bigger market out there where if you could go from processing to customer without using a middle man other than delivery, it would be perfect.
    The population would understand its fresh and of quality.

    Who needs a supermarket when it's at your door

    • 00 on 22/05/2016 - 23:29
      +1

      Like aussiefarmersdirect.com.au ?

      • coco1458 on 22/05/2016 - 23:39

        Yep, but I guess there was a reason why that kind've milk delivery stalled

      • compound on 23/05/2016 - 09:16

        They need to be a bit more competitive when competing with Colesworth though.

      • ItsMeAgro on 23/05/2016 - 16:27

        Yes, except not so greedy that they actually cost more than ColesWorths, even after cutting out the middle man.

        I mean, come on… a great idea shot squarely in it's own foot.

  • MrCAMEL on 21/05/2016 - 19:40
    +7

    Check out the prices over the years.
    http://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/Markets-and-statistics/Pric…

    This drop is not the biggest drop and the price has risen more over the years.
    There are so many lies around, who knows who to believe. In the Mercury in Hobart, they carry on that the farmers were getting 55c a litre ($5.60 kg/milk solids) before the cut. However, their milk solids price is now $5, but they only receive 37c a litre. I don't know much. But it doesn't seem right.

    My brother and uncles are/have been dairy farmers in NW Tas for decades. Lets be honest. They do a good job. But they don't know the finer/business aspects of it. 2 years ago they were getting $6.96kg/ milk solids. A rise of $1.80 from the previous year. NOW it's dropped from $5.6 to $5, a drop of just $0.60kg and the whole industry is ruined.

    Changing the price retrospectively is pretty mean, but everyone in the industry knows it is possible and that's what they did.

    I suppose you just have to make the most of it while it's good, as zappy32 wrote about average earnings of over $350,000 a year, and then when it gets a little bit bad, make everyone feel guilty and ask the government for money.

    • PVA on 23/05/2016 - 19:19

      great comment, that chart shows it well too.

  • GooseHoward on 22/05/2016 - 13:56
    +11

    Buy the cheaper milk and donate the money saved to those who actually need charity

  • Donaldhump on 22/05/2016 - 13:57
    +3

    sure, and companies should use local computer programmers instead of offshoring it to india…. thata would help my economy, and then i could afford milk.

    everyone uses the cheapest they can find..call centres, workers, milk, clothes… it has a ripple effect, no one will have jobs soon.

    i might start using an accountant based overseas.

  • Talonparty on 22/05/2016 - 15:27
    +18

    I used to shop very ethically, always try to buy free range and always avoided coles/woolies branded stuff. My wife used to make fun of me for it but I tried to explain to her my power was very small and this was the only way I could exercise it.

    Then we hit tough times, continued tough economic times. Now I really cant afford anything but the cheapest. I'd love to help out, but I've got to do what I've got to do and that means I can't let ethics concern me anymore. I guess it's the same stance most businesses take so I shouldn't feel bad, but I do.

    One day we'll get decent jobs and won't struggle, maybe then I can spend the extra on milk and chicken. But only then.

    • DRAGONPHONEIX on 22/05/2016 - 16:49
      +7

      best of luck buddy and stay strong

    • StewBalls on 23/05/2016 - 09:51
      +2

      There is absolutely no shame in being a pragmatist & living within your means…quite the opposite in fact, you have my utmost respect.

    • Duff5000 on 23/05/2016 - 20:31
      +2

      Same situation here. Our 4 kids go through a lot of milk. The different between 90c/l long life milk and the devondale equivalent is normally around a + 50%

      When you go through 10 or more a week it really ads up.

    • belongsinforums on 23/05/2016 - 20:51
      +1

      Yea there's plenty of things arguably less ethical than buying generic milk. Mobile phones, clothing, petrol, electricity from fossil fuels…

  • chumlee on 22/05/2016 - 16:44
    +3

    Even if you buy branded milk such as Paul's, the farmer still gets paid the same per litre. Unless you buy specialty milk like A2, the farmers who supply the big producers process the same milk from the same cow

  • Tasmaniac on 22/05/2016 - 17:38
    +1

    This is OzBargain I never buy milk at $1 a litre…

    I wait until it's reduced to 50 cents.

  • AusGaz on 22/05/2016 - 19:35
    +2

    Found this list of milk brands and their parent companies.
    http://guide.ethical.org.au/guide/browse/guide/?type=15

    Looks like I'll be buying Bannister Downs more often. Nice milk but a bit more expensive, and I go through a lot of milk.

  • neonlight on 22/05/2016 - 19:59

    Only if the price gets to the farmer themselves. Rather than going to the supermarket giants

  • mrjames on 22/05/2016 - 20:42
    +11

    So many bogans on facebook getting fired up about this, quite amusing. No one understands that the generic milk is an identical product and comes from the same supplier. Even funnier are the posts where they are saying that branded milk is "Australian" while the generic stuff is imported watery garbage and therefore it should be tipped out in protest. Not forgetting the fact that the problem is due to the processors poor investment choices.

    This is honestly why Australia isn't progressing, with the common person getting their news from ACA its created a class of brainless sheep.

    • Devils Advocate on 22/05/2016 - 21:18

      "Not forgetting the fact that the problem is due to the processors poor investment choices."

      Ahhh…. the problem is with the supply/demand curve pushing global milk prices down. Nothing to do with poor investment choices…

      And Australia is progressing, we've got one of the highest GDP growth rates in the developed world.

      • mrjames on 22/05/2016 - 21:22

        The shortfall was due to less revenue coming in from the Chinese market. The processor's should have hedged against this risk when making the investment to increase exports.

        • Devils Advocate on 22/05/2016 - 21:24
          +1

          Haha ok mrjames, tell me how you hedge against a drop in global milk demand? (I'm a Finance/Economics major and dairy farmers son by the way)

        • mrjames on 22/05/2016 - 21:31

          @Devils Advocate:

          No idea DA, but i'm sure there is an instrument out there which lets you short the price or give you an option. This is something MCG management should have considered before being so reliant on an international market.

          edit: here is a rough example http://cals.arizona.edu/extension/dairy/conference/proceedin…

        • [Deactivated] on 23/05/2016 - 14:38
          +2

          @Devils Advocate:

          This is the problem with modern Australia: I have a strong opinion that I am entitled to. I have nothing to base it on, but I suspect I'm right.

          Case in point mrjames

        • thirtysixd on 23/05/2016 - 20:46
          +1

          @Devils Advocate:

          Selling short futures contracts / derivatives
          Same as every other industry/commodity…..

          There is really no reason for the dairy industry not to use derivatives

          MGC in particular has been very poorly managed and made terrible investment choices

        • catbrain on 24/05/2016 - 11:56

          @Devils Advocate: The individual farmers supplying Murray Goulburn (not sure about Fonterra) had the option of locking in a price for their milk for a period of (I think) 2 years. Of course, it was a lower price than whatever they were getting at the time, and also meant that they wouldn't get the benefit if the milk price rose. This was separate to any deals in relation to share price when Murray Goulburn listed on the ASX, and I'm pretty sure it's available to the farmer whenever they renew their supply contract.

          That would be a way to hedge against a drop in global milk demand, wouldn't it?

          There has been criticism of Murray Goulburn exaggerating PE when they listed as well. Lots of accusations of poor management at MG.

        • gromit on 25/05/2016 - 12:51

          @Devils Advocate: You hedge the same way every other industry hedges. By negotiating quantities and prices over longer terms rather than short term spot prices, this means less profits in short term but better stability and guaranteed returns over the longer term.

      • [Deactivated] on 25/05/2016 - 09:10
        -1

        Well the processor should be keeping an eye on this and acting accordingly. As i understand, they didn't, so there was a while lot of milk products by farmers that wasn't going to sell. A waste of their time and money.

    • zappy32 on 23/05/2016 - 01:37
      +1

      I see a lot of these posts as well. I honestly wonder if this is all going to backfire and the net result is that even less milk is sold? I have a feeling people might be more boycotting generic brands than actually spending the money to buy more expensive. If someone on a budget buys 1 litre of brand name milk instead of 2 litres of generic are farmers going to be in a better position? I'm sure there's many people that can afford it but the ones making a big hoo-ha about it seem to be the ones that can least afford it.

  • FW190 on 22/05/2016 - 20:47
    +1

    maybe it is time to push for fair trade milk? (we have that for coffee and chocolates, so why not milk) but hopefully this won't turn into another cash grab like free range……….

  • wukachuka on 22/05/2016 - 23:46
    +6

    I watched a program on the ABC this week at some point, where it is explained as one of the giant co-ops stuffed up and paid more to farmers than they could sell the milk for, now they want the extra money back.

    If the farmers being asked to return the money had significantly invested in the stock of the co-op, they were kinda screwed unless they did pay it back.

    To make matters worse, not all the farmers had shares, so those ones can cut and run and not pay the money back if they want to.

    Something like that anyway, heres the link to the show about it

    http://www.abc.net.au/landline/content/2016/s4457938.htm

    "Sour Milk : Murray Goulburn

    Broadcast: 9/05/2016 9:44:43 AM

    Reporter: Pip Courtney"

  • Cluster on 23/05/2016 - 01:59
    +4

    Milk solids are a commodity, just like iron ore, copper, gold, silver, wheat and coffee. The world price for milk is falling due to lower demand and oversupply, and no amount of sentimental hand wringing over our farmers is going to fix that.

    An idea was floated last week about introducing a 50c/L tax on milk. Governments artificially setting prices in that fashion would be very unfortunate. What happens when a New Zealand producer exports their UHT milk to Australia? Does their milk get the 50c/L tax slapped on it which is then given to the Australian government? Imported milk products would have to have the 50c/L tax added on to them too. Think condensed sweetened milk (Woolworths from Singapore, Coles from the Netherlands). Are those countries going to accept the artificial price rise without a fight through the WHO?

    Buying $4/2L milk at the supermarket instead of $2/2L is not going to fix the problem. Customers are only going to feed more money to big dairy corporations and boost their profits without passing on the benefits to farmers. The only way to help our farmers is to increase the consumption of locally produced milk. There's only so much milk you can drink, so the solution is to eat more value added products like cheese.

    • compound on 23/05/2016 - 09:20
      +3

      Let's be honest, our governments aren't the most cutting edge nor smart with tax policies let alone keeping to taxation principles in the first place (I'm looking at double dipping taxes).

  • FatBlanket on 23/05/2016 - 07:42

    Its a free market, let it sort itself out. Or change the system.

    • compound on 23/05/2016 - 09:19
      +2

      The problem is that it's not free. It's controlled by the monopolistic business environment. Nothing is free in business, there's always some sort of deal to cut out any real competition.

  • onlyletters on 23/05/2016 - 07:50
    +7

    I feel sorry for the cows mostly

  • OzBestDeal on 23/05/2016 - 09:29
    +1

    I was comparing between Nutrition Facts on Coles and Dairy Farmer brand. They both exactly the same, but Dairy Farmer's cost 50% more.
    I can't find justification buying Dairy Farmer.

    A2 has a little bit more stuff, but can't justify the much higher price.

    • Costco97 on 23/05/2016 - 23:31

      A2 does not have A1 protein and its patented… That is a different story.

  • grimo82 on 23/05/2016 - 09:44

    Hot issue locally for me on the NSW Sth coast. This recent story goes some way to explain branded vs generic form a producers perspective

    http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/3915057/jamberoo-da…

    Adding to this is Bega just lost the Coles generic /home brand supply contract - now being supplied by devondale.

  • daleyboy79 on 23/05/2016 - 11:59

    My understanding of all this (which may well be totally incorrect, plz correct if so) is:
    Dairy farmers want all the people of australia to band together and protest etc so we can pay more for milk
    instead of
    Dairy farmers banding together and refusing to sell their milk for a reasonable price

    Am i missing something???

    • Devils Advocate on 23/05/2016 - 19:20
      +1

      What do you suggest they do with their milk while they wait for a good price? Unfortunately dairy farmers are price takers and forever will be.

      They can't just shut up shop either, a lot have $1,000,000+ in debt to service.

      • abc on 24/05/2016 - 14:08

        Same thing with all commodity producers. 1000's of people in the mining industry have lost their jobs over the last 3-4 years because of the same situation but you won't hear anyone 'crying over spilt milk' (pun intended) as they are evil miners.

        • Devils Advocate on 24/05/2016 - 18:10

          Unlike iron ore milk expires in two weeks, and most farmer's milk tanks can only hold a couple of days worth of milk. Cows still need to be milked everyday too, whether you're selling it or not.

          You're right about mining, but the difference with that is that it's the business owners with the real skin in the game. Employees don't have a whole lot to lose (just their jobs), the business owners have a whole lot more to lose.

  • boomramada on 23/05/2016 - 12:13

    I got a question, does both coles and woolies use Australian produced milk I assume?

    • chriskq on 23/05/2016 - 14:07

      Yes and this ABC checkout video explains it well which has already been mentioned in the comments

  • tristanmarsh on 23/05/2016 - 12:15

    I'm doing this week dairy free. Perhaps if I'm lucky and I do realise I'm somewhat lactose intolerant, I can stay out of the politics!

  • jamaco on 23/05/2016 - 13:08

    I've compiled the info from the Facebook discussion into My Dairy for quick reference.

    • jamaco on 23/05/2016 - 19:41

      The site also links to Aussie Farmers Direct where you can order dairy that supports our farmers online.

  • new turtle on 23/05/2016 - 14:00

    I've been buying St David's dairy milk recently, which is based in Fitzroy, and it's really good stuff. A few IGAs and gourmet grocers sell it, but their list of suppliers isn't very big as they're a small business. It's as close as I can get to buying milk from the farmers. Great Ocean Road is my choice if I have to buy from a Colesworth store.

    • catbrain on 24/05/2016 - 12:04

      Thanks for this tip! Wasn't even aware of it, and I live in Collingwood. Just found out on their website that it's stocked at Fitzroy's Finest F&V, which is right next door to Woolies, as well as Meatsmith and Smith St Alimentari.

  • Hirolol on 23/05/2016 - 14:02

    So which milk do we buy to support the farmers?
    I would happily pay an extra $1 if the farmers get more money.

    I dont think its fair that the big corporations are squeezing the farmers just so the shareholders or investors get a bit more money in their pocket.

    Fair enough the dairy company is running a business and needs to make a profit but that should not be at the sake of making life harder for the farmers.

    • chriskq on 23/05/2016 - 14:09

      If you read the comments its basically only A2 from coles/woolies i believe - please correct me if im wrong

    • PVA on 23/05/2016 - 19:11
      +1

      norco.

  • luffyex2010 on 23/05/2016 - 14:31
    -3

    I dont know about farming or cows…..but i sure know if the human consumption will grow to a level when

    Cows=non enough for human consumption

    efficiency of processing and storing of milk to a new product must be researched on.

    Milk tablets….throw in a glass with water and pop eureka….Moo Milk 2020.

    This will be for our other sources of foods too. No more food wastage!

    Or it will go to a worsen direction when all animal goes extinct.

    Guess whats on the new menu? Oppai Milk2020

  • [Deactivated] on 23/05/2016 - 16:50
    +3

    I live in a dairy farming community, both primary producers and dairy processing.

    It's pretty tense here as the farmers are finding it hard to pay for hay and the processing plant workers are embarrassed to walk around town. Only the few that do not have to show their faces that are actually reaping these ill gotten gains.

    It'll make no difference whichever way you choose to spend your money. It'll take government intervention for capitalistic bullying to stop.

  • Bargaingeek on 23/05/2016 - 17:20
    -2

    I don't believe it for a second. We are only country that does "corporate charity" every year some major industry cries that they are on loss then gullible Ozzie's feel bad and agree to pay up. It's all a scam, rip off. Look at their profits mostly on record levels. Health insurance is the best example, every year they go crying to the government and we gladly pay 15%+ per year

    Only country in the world, consumers are very stupid here

    • Devils Advocate on 23/05/2016 - 19:24
      +2

      Wow, mate educate yourself before you comment.

  • PVA on 23/05/2016 - 19:09

    I agree with you.
    I read back when the cheap$2 milk came out about people buying expensive milk back then to support farmers but the answer was that nearly all farmers get the same whether its cheap or expensive milk - only ones like norco was where farmers got more per litre.

  • ninetyNineCents on 23/05/2016 - 19:48

    What's next, calls to buy More expensive water, to give jobs to refugees to pick up those damn bottles on all our beaches…

  • Clear on 24/05/2016 - 01:26

    Looks like the Tasmanians have it figured out as their local brands that aren't owned by Fonterra etc. are having record sales overnight.

    http://www.examiner.com.au/story/3922931/ashgrove-milk-walks…

  • cannedhams on 24/05/2016 - 07:11
    +3

    Its amazing how selective peoples' sympathies are. Does anyone worry about buying cheap flour because it drives wheat farmers to the wall? (it doesn't particularly, because wheat is a global commodity much like milk is).

    As the checkout piece explains, buying expensive milk is not going to put more money in the pockets of farmers. What we are seeing is the tail end of milk price deregulation that was passed in the early-2000s - ironically by conservative governments that dairy producers overwhelmingly vote for.

    What is also amazing is that people insist that the more expensive milk tastes better. I have had exhausting conversations with my wife on this very issue. I have offered to drive her to the Parmalaat factory in Toowoomba to actually show her the woolies milk cartons and the dairy farmers cartons coming out of the same factory. She won't be swayed.

    I don't drink milk anyway, Im vegan. Not much good to a dairy farmer then, am I?

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