Dairy farmers push for $1.50 a litre milk

NSW Farmers is pushing for major retailers to increase the prices of their generic milk brands.

NSW Farmers Dairy Committee chair Colin Thompson says the major retailers need to lift the price of their generic milk brands to $1.50 per litre to help sustain the NSW dairy industry. 

“The end of the $1-a-litre milk prices at the start of the year provided some relief to dairy farmers, but a further price increase is needed to help NSW dairy farmers,” Mr Thompson says.

 “Feed and water costs are skyrocketing in this unprecedented drought, but our milk prices on farm have only risen slightly.”

“A price rise on generic milk brands by the major retailers Woolworths, Coles and Aldi would inject much-needed money back into the industry and to farmers. The prices of other dairy products like cheese and butter also need to be lifted.”

Mr Thompson says retail milk prices are part of a bigger picture for the dairy sector, and that reforming Australia’s competition framework is the ultimate way of safeguarding the industry’s future. 

“We need to have the power inequities along the dairy supply chain addressed but this will take time. A price rise is a short-term option that will provide immediate respite to our farmers.”

“We are at a crisis point in NSW, with 51 dairy farmers exiting the industry over the last year, and a drop in overall productivity by 7%.”

Date:  Wednesday 20 November 2019 
Media Contact:  Michael Burt  | 0428 228 988 | [email protected]