Dairy industry needs new ACCC powers and price transparency

Greens Deputy Leader, Christine Milne says after hearing evidence in Launceston during today’s Senate Inquiry the dairy industry needs new ACCC powers and price transparency.

“The ACCC cannot both approve mergers and then adjudicate on whether the results of those mergers have been adverse. It’s a clear conflict of interest,” said Senator Milne.

“Not only do these powers need to be separated but the ACCC needs to be able to require third party arbitration rules to ensure that in the collective bargaining process one party cannot walk away from the table as National Foods did.”

“The community already values our dairy farmers but just how little they are paid for their milk is hidden.”

“When you pick up a litre of milk in a supermarket you should be able to see how the money is distributed between the farmers, the processors, distributors, Coles and Woolworths.”

“It is a disgrace that when you pay two dollars or more for a litre of milk the farmers are being offered about 33 cents per litre.”

“I would also like to call on Australian Dairy Farmers’ President, Wesley Judd to explain how Tasmanian dairy farmers are supposed to make a profit when they are being offered a price per litre of nearly seven cents below cost.”

“It beggars belief that the head of the nation’s dairy organisation would support this offer when the ADF claim on their own website to be the ‘guardians of Australian dairy farming’, and when he knows that accepting such a price would mean that many farmers would have to trade insolvent, which is against the law.”

“I would like to know if Chris Oldfield from the TFGA would go to work every day if the cost of getting there was more than he was paid.”

Senator Milne called on Tasmanians to continue their support of the dairy industry because the struggle is far from being over.
Senator Christine Milne