EastAUSmilk meets More Decision-Makers

Last week, eastAUSmilk’s team met with officers of the Federal Treasury Department, and advisors to New South Wales Minister for Agriculture, and Regional and Western New South Wales, Tara Moriarty.

eastAUSmilk Chair of the Board Matt Trace and Government Relations Manager Mike Smith talked with Treasury about the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission review of the proposed purchase by Coles of two Saputo milk processing plants. They also pressed the case for review and updating of the Dairy Industry Code.  The Treasury officers were very interested in the proposition that some of the processors have begun to work out ways around the provisions of the Code, and agreed to meet eastAUSmilk again, once the ACCC announces the results of their review, on 20 July.

The discussion with Minister Moriarty’s advisors covered the same Coles and Saputo issues, and changes needed to the Dairy Industry Code, as well as industry sustainability measures, animal welfare issues, and foot and mouth disease preparedness. eastAUSmilk and the Minister’s office will get back together soon for further discussions, and some of the topics covered will also be discussed with New South Wales’s Department of Primary Industries, in the near future.

Minister Moriarty was invited to visit a dairy farm, and eastAUSmilk promised to show her the basics of how a dairy farm works.  She was also invited to an eastAUSmilk Board meeting.

As with all of the meetings held with Ministerial Offices and Departments over the past several weeks, eastAUSmilk has found discussions to be positive, and constructive, and in all cases there’s a commitment to continue them.

 Mike Smith, Government Relations Manager eastAUSmilk