3 years ago
THE PLIGHT OF OUR DAIRY FARMERS
JOEL FITZGIBBON MP
It has taken a by-election in Eden-Monaro to get the Morrison Government interested in the plight of Australia’s dairy farmers.
Unfair, low farmgate milk prices are as real today for farmers as they were prior to the drought, the bushfires and Covid 19. Today Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud acknowledged the structural problems in the fresh dairy sector, but can offer no more than a plea for help from the supermarkets.
When there are market imperfections in a sector, it is important that Government correct these, not to beg someone else to do it. Today David Littleproud acknowledged the market power imbalance between the processors and our farmers, but he refuses to act meaningfully.
Labor again calls upon the Government to task the ACCC to assess the merits of a minimum farmgate milk price in each dairy region. When I visited dairy farmers in Eden-Monaro last year the minimum farmgate milk price proposal received strong support from dairy farmers.
It is not good enough to describe the proposal as a “cruel hoax”, just because it’s a Labor idea. What is the harm in asking the ACCC to take a look at it? Surely our dairy farmers deserve that at least?
Unfair, low farmgate milk prices are as real today for farmers as they were prior to the drought, the bushfires and Covid 19. Today Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud acknowledged the structural problems in the fresh dairy sector, but can offer no more than a plea for help from the supermarkets.
When there are market imperfections in a sector, it is important that Government correct these, not to beg someone else to do it. Today David Littleproud acknowledged the market power imbalance between the processors and our farmers, but he refuses to act meaningfully.
Labor again calls upon the Government to task the ACCC to assess the merits of a minimum farmgate milk price in each dairy region. When I visited dairy farmers in Eden-Monaro last year the minimum farmgate milk price proposal received strong support from dairy farmers.
It is not good enough to describe the proposal as a “cruel hoax”, just because it’s a Labor idea. What is the harm in asking the ACCC to take a look at it? Surely our dairy farmers deserve that at least?