Over two decades ago while living in Gippsland, I had the great pleasure of working closely with dairy farmers. Through my two year association with them, their tenacity, resilience, love for their cows, the industry and their enduring sense of optimism has remained with me ever since. So, it’s not surprising that the farmers’ plight in relation to the collapse in farm-gate milk prices is something very close to my heart.
What we are witnessing here is a classic ‘price taker’ situation which is seemingly out of the control of the farmers. The stress of what can only be described as a predatory move by the dairy giants is a force-multiplier. Families used to the highs and lows of the dairy industry now find themselves under unprecedented levels of stress. With livelihoods under threat, many long-term dairy farmers have sold up.
And yet their resilience remains strong. I take my hat off to anyone in the dairy industry that has stayed true to their craft and stuck it out. Yet the impact on the next generation of dairy farmers has been profound. This can be seen in the linked article detailing the documentary-making efforts by Tasmanian dairy farm teenagers Austen and Patrick Roberts to better educate their peers on the seriousness of a situation that has taken a heavy toll with both Austen and Patrick having resolved to work in another field post-school.
Thankfully the government and industry body have been very supportive with advice coming in many forms, including this very useful Dairy Australia Fact Sheet that will assist farmers in regaining their power. Dairy Australia – Fact Sheets are Resources
Australia needs its dairy industry. If we all pull together we can make it robust once again. How we do that remains to be seen but I for one would pay more for milk if I knew the money was going directly back to the dairy farmers pockets, would you?