Federal Election Done and Dusted
The 2025 Federal Election is done and dusted, with an overwhelming ALP win …. but what does this mean for the dairy industry?
Issues facing the dairy industry were not a feature of the campaign so no standout policy commitments were received from any political party.
The new Albanese Cabinet and Ministry has now been officially sworn in - Julie Collins remains in the cabinet as Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Queensland Senator Anthony Chisholm is her Assistant Minister and adds Resources to his role.
The new Ministry does not include a Minister for Food as recommended last year by the parliamentary committee into food security.
EAM has written to the Minister and Assistant Minister congratulating them on their appointments and committed to working with them to address the important issues facing the dairy industry.
A key issue for farmers is the review of the Dairy Code. The arbitrary extension for the review means any changes to redress the imbalance between farmers and processors will not be made in time for the current round of milk contracts. The new Government needs to take a keener interest in this review as it has all the hallmarks of a token exercise.
The survival and very existence of the dairy industry is a growing concern. Farms battered by severe and ongoing weather events are under strain, with fatigued farmers managing sodden fields they can’t re-plant, herd mastitis and sore feet inflating veterinary bills. Unlike their Qld counterparts, NSW farmers are still waiting for Government assistance with the impact of ex-cyclone Alfred and their transport subsidies remain arbitrarily capped at $15 000 per financial year.
Dairy farmers also need a more concerted effort from Government to help build climate resilience with on-farm infrastructure, trials of more tolerant pasture varieties and new labour-saving technologies.
The committee recommendation for a Food Security Plan and a specific strategy for reinvigorating the dairy industry would be a perfect focus for the new Minister to lift profitability and production while addressing the industry’s economic and environmental sustainability.
EastAUSmilk will focus our efforts to ensure Government is fully aware our farmers issues, the challenges facing farmers every day and the exciting opportunities that, if supported, will save and grow our dairy industry.
Joe Bradley, President eastAUSmilk
Dairy Farmers Need Support
eastAUSmilk has worked tirelessly with the department, processors and active farmers to finalise a plan for the Qld dairy industry. It will be launched soon and has a range of initiatives for industry productivity, sustainability and growth – but it needs Government buy-in to work.
The plan sets out key priorities for the future to help farmers access new technologies and pastures, improve infrastructure for climate resilience and other strategies to increase productivity and farm gate output.
EAM has asked the Qld Government for support in the next budget, or earlier. Farmers all read the news that the next budget will be tight, but compared with big ticket items like infrastructure, housing, education and health, our asks are very low cost with high impact.
The asks relate to extending the popular and effective technology uptake and farm business resilience programs and resources to support implementing the plan and work on new pasture development.
In total, the ask is only $3 million over 4 years, plus extending and improving access to FBRP – all would agree - a small hand out for a big hand up for dairy.
EAM and our farmers will continue to work with the new Government to deliver this support. We commend the Government’s ambitious commitment to increase total Qld agricultural industry total farm gate output to $30 billion by 2030 – and dairy farmers are ready to go to deliver our share.
Importantly for Queensland, a more productive and sustainable dairy industry delivers in spades for local, regional economies while ensuring Queenslanders can drink more home grown milk.
Denise Spinks, Government Relations Manager eastAUSmilk
Dairy Plan Finished - Gone to Government
The Dairy Industry Plan for Queensland has been completed, and eastAUSmilk is now asking Government and industry participants to commit to implementation.
eastAUSmilk expects to meet with the Minister’s advisors and Department of Primary Industries, from early in January, urging that resourcing and implementation get underway as soon as possible.
Driven by concerns about the decline in milk production across the state, the plan is the culmination of extensive consultation – farmer district meetings across Queensland, one-on-one meetings, online feedback options, and individuals emailed their analyses, views, and suggestions.
The plan’s focus is reversing the decline in production, and building the economic viability of dairy farming across Queensland, and identifies four broad priority areas which can make a difference:
financing the future – how we enable capital inflows to the farming section,
pathways into the industry – how we get new participants to operate farms,
risk mitigation for stable production – how we manage climate variability and other risks in a changing world, and
productivity improvement – how can we get the same, or more, milk for less inputs.
The plan identifies fifteen action items which are best placed to provide responses to those priorities, with five of the 15 prioritised for immediate action
Improved support and more accessible information, including legal options, for industry entry and exit,
Comprehensive climate and natural disaster program for dairying e.g. infrastructure to mitigate heat stress, mitigate feed issues in the wet, on farm sustainability, renewables,
Identification of barriers and solutions to expand feedstock options, including imported strains, for pest and disease management, and further understand the barriers for the use of GMO feedstock options, and explore potential solutions,
Support and facilitate on-farm uptake of changed practice, including new automation, technology and production systems, and
Improving the productivity, and management, of pastures.
The action items not in the top five are to be addressed, as resources and time permit.
Implementation of the plan is to be managed by an industry led group including eastAUSmilk, processors, Government, and SubTropical Dairy.
Mike Smith