Will Albanese’s Labor government offer dairy new beginnings?

DA's latest Situation and Outlook report highlights the increasing input costs dairy farmers are facing.

With a newly installed Federal government comes newly appointed ministers who will be briefed by their policy advisors.

The public service and departmental heads will provide briefings as to how their policies can be implemented.

With it, industry bodies will seek meetings to put their member's views forward and ensure their positions are given appropriate consideration.

During the election, agricultural policy was announced in the broad brush but as always, the "devil is in the detail".

Labor announced changes to the agricultural visa scheme and a renewed focus towards to the Pacific to increase farm labour.

Promises have been made to increase biosecurity funding to help prevent lumpy skin and foot and mouth diseases breaching our borders.

These holistic issues are of most immediate concern to farmers and we welcome these commitments.

However, other immediate matters also need to be addressed.

Dairy Australia's latest Situation and Outlook report highlights the increasing input costs dairy farmers are facing.

Fertiliser, fodder, fuel and grain prices have doubled in price over the past 12-months.

These harsh imposts are contributing to the decline in the number of dairy farmers, especially where the farmgate price being received is not equal to their costs of production.

Hence the real need for supermarkets to increase the price of home-brand milk to a minimum of $2 a litre.

The Labor election commitment to convene a dairy symposium is a positive step.

The symposium will enable dairy representatives, from dairy farmers to supermarkets, to address the vast issues which were identified in recent parliamentary and ACCC reports.

The symposium may not be the panacea, but it will help crystallise the ongoing issues and the way in which we need to find a collaborative solution.

Otherwise, the dairy industry we know today, which itself requires strong positive change, will be very different to the industry that will or will not exist in the future.

Source: Queensland Country Life – written by Shaughn Morgan co-CEO eastAUSmilk, 4 June 2022