Dairy farmers get quotes from everyone now
There is a frenzy of activity across Queensland as all milk processors try to secure milk for 1 July. Every processor across Australia is desperately short of milk and scrambling to secure any milk they can.
Prices have been moving up gradually over the past month. It started with a small increase of 5c/L, then 9, followed by 11, 12 and now 13c/L increase. On average, Lactalis appears to be leading the way now with a price of around 85c/L. Norco appears to be around 1c/L behind and Bega around 2c/L behind in SEQ. Surprisingly to most, Maleny Dairy and Farmers Owned appear to behind all 3 major processors when historically they have been above.
So what will happen next? I would expect to see significant increases from processors over the next few weeks leading up to 1 July. It is likely that the price will get to 90c/L. Why? Because it costs at least 90c/L, probably more like 95c/L, to buy milk in Victoria and transport it to Queensland. So if the market works and competition drives the price as it should then the price should be at least 90c/L.
So what farmers do to drive competition and push the price up to where it should be? If you are coming off contract in the next year speak to every processor who may be interested in buying your milk.
There are a lot of farmers very active in speaking to multiple processors. Some of those farmers would be considered extremely loyal and untouchable by other processors. But no one should be untouchable. Any farmers who is loyal and does not speak to all processors and just expects to get a price rise get what they deserve and that is to be exploited.
Dairy farmers the market is finally working and massively in your favour. Get on the phone and speak to all processors, myself and anyone else who can help you put the price up to a level that you deserve and makes your farming operation profitable.
Eric Danzi – eastAUSmilk Co-CEO
Dairy farmers need 90c/L to continue dairying
All major milk processors released their new milk contracts on 1 June. All processors announce significant increases in prices as expected with increases between 9 and 12c/L except farmers owned that has announced only a 5 c/L increase. All processors now pay between 80 and 85c/L on average.
Of the 3 major processors, Norco announced a potential 12 c/L increase which will see an average perhaps around 84 c/L. Lactalis announced a 9c/L with an expected average price around 81-82 c/L. DFMC who supply Bega announced a 10.5c/L increase that will see them average around 83c/L in southern Queensland. DFMC is expected to average around 81c/L in North Queensland in north Queensland.
Are farmers excited by the price increases? No. Will this be enough to stop exodus of farmers from the industry? No. The cost increases from fertiliser, chemicals, fuel and purchased feed over the past year are likely to more than swallow up the price increases. And the ongoing wet and muddy conditions will continue to hamper production and milk quality.
There are likely to be further increases during June and there needs to be. To get farmers excited and profitable again prices need to average at least 90c/L. anything less than this will see the exodus from the industry continue.
Farmers have time before they need to sign so do not sign anything yet. Get quotes from all processes to see who pays you the most since there will be significant variations between processors for individual farmers. Make it clear to processors that you need more to stay in the industry.
There is no spare milk in Australia to send to Queensland, so processors need Queensland milk. Processors need to demand money in the retail sector to remain profitable and pay farmers 90c/L or the spiral of falling milk supply will continue.
Eric Danzi – eastAUSmilk Co-CEO
Federal Labor Government – a new beginning or continuing decline?
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 have announced changes to the agricultural visa scheme. They intend a renewed focus towards to the Pacific to increase farm labour.
Promises have been made to increase biosecurity funding to help prevent Lumpy Skin & Foot and Mouth diseases breaching our borders, with the continuing outbreaks in Indonesia. Diseases which threaten livestock industries.
These holistic issues are of most immediate concern to farmers, especially within dairy and we welcome these commitments.
However, other immediate matters also need to be considered and addressed.
Dairy Australia's latest situation and outlook report highlights the increasing input costs that dairy farmers are facing. Fertiliser, fodder, fuel and grain prices doubled in price over the past 12 months, placing undue pressure on dairy farmers to continue to survive within the dairy industry. Dairy farmers on the Atherton Tablelands, for instance, are facing some of the highest fodder costs with an average of $350 a tonne for pasture hay.
These harsh imposts are contributing to the decline in the number of dairy farmers across the dairy States, especially where the farm-gate 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/L. In turn, processors must guarantee to pass these gains back to the farmers in their milk price.
The Labor election commitment to convene a dairy symposium is a positive and proactive step.
It will enable the dairy industry to consider ways in which to stop the decline of dairy farms and provide solutions to ensure a future for generation of dairy farmers to come.
The symposium will enable dairy representatives, from dairy farmers to supermarkets, to address a vast and complex number of issues which were identified in numerous recent parliamentary and ACCC reports. These include the dairy mandatory code, input costs, 'truth in labelling', market failure to name but a few of the issues.
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.
Shaughn Morgan – eastAUSmilk Co-CEO
Consider all milk contracts before signing
Milk processors are required to release their new milk contracts by 1 June. There has been a lot of discussion regarding these announcements and an expectation of a significant increase in milk prices given the increase in production costs, shortage of milk and ability for retail milk price to increase in response to cost increases.
Dairy farmers are in a very strong bargaining position and should utilise this to gain the maximum increase in milk price. This is a fork in the road moment for a lot of dairy farmers deciding whether they should stay in the industry or not. So no time is more critical to gain the highest price possible.
I urge all dairy farmers not to be rushed and explore your options with all processors before signing a contract. Given the milk shortages and cost increase, farmers should expect at least an additional 10c/L. Do not consider signing any contract with less than a 10c/L increase and without exploring all options.
The prices when announced are a weighted average only so you should request an income estimate for your individual milk supply. Be honest and realistic when providing the volume and milk quality parameters for the estimate so it can be as accurate as possible for you to consider.
Please let all your dairy farmer friends know of what they should expect and ensure they also shop around before signing a contract. Also be aware that if you sign a contract that you regret, you have a 14 day cooling off period where you can terminate your contract.
The ACCC has updated its guidance on some key elements of the Dairy Code. The updates provide more detail on the ACCC’s interpretation of the code’s ‘single document’ requirement, arrangements for cooperatives and collective bargaining groups, what constitutes a ‘material breach’, loyalty payments and other bonuses, and the requirement to publish dispute reports.
Eric Danzi – eastAUSmilk Co-CEO
Dairy symposium pre-election commitment hits the mark
The pre-election commitment by both the Coalition and Labor to support the convening of a second dairy symposium, to be held after the federal election, is to be applauded.
The dairy industry, as has been highlighted by the ACCC in its 2018 report, is experiencing market failure brought on by the dominance of the supermarkets and the inability of dairy farmers to be able to negotiate a strong and fair farm gate price with their processors.
There are ample reasons for a symposium to be convened after the federal election. While the Mandatory Dairy Code, which originated from the first dairy symposium in 2016, has gone part way to restoring trust and transparency, there remains work to do.
In recent months dairy industry organisations have advocated for increases in the dairy cabinet prices that supermarkets are currently charging their customers. Ensuring a better return on milk sales to the dairy processors puts them in a better position to pass down price increases to dairy farmers, thus enabling them to remain on their dairy farms.
Currently, the number of dairy farms is continuing to decrease, and the amount of milk being produced around the country is reducing.
Agriculture over the past years has been subjected to drought, bushfires and now on-going floods. This is in combination with high input costs. For example, the prices of fertiliser and diesel have more than doubled over the past 12 months, and this is adversely impacting upon the capacity of dairy farms to survive into the future.
Bringing together the players within the dairy value chain so as to address the ongoing issues, find solutions and stop the exodus of dairy farmers from the land is critical to the future of Australian agriculture and in fact to Australia's own food security and resilience.
That is why the election commitment by the Coalition and Labor to hold a dairy symposium provides a platform to restore faith and future growth for the dairy industry.
Shaughn Morgan – eastAUSmilk Co-CEO
Breaking down the benefits of solar on farm
A dairy in the Burnett region, milking 160 cows, has implemented a photovoltaic (PV) system and management opportunity based on the energy audit report the farm received through the Energy Savers Plus Program Extension. Through the program the business site received a dairy shed energy audit carried out by AgVet Energy and an electrical site analysis performed by Solar Energy & Battery Storage Solutions (SEBSS) both engaged by eastAUSmilk.
The goal of the business is to reduce electricity costs by implementing a PV System and making maximum use of the energy generated by the system.
Prior to implementation, the main energy use areas: shed, dairy, pump, homestead, and effluent pump were all operating off a separate NMI account, each had a daily service fee and meter charges.
To maximize the benefits of a 30 kW PV system and reduce grid charges three NMIs were merged. Thanks to data provided by SEBSS performance monitoring of the Solar PV system, I was able to evaluate the savings and outcomes achieved from the farms investment.
Monitoring the farm energy use from July to October 2021 the load was 156 kWh/day with an average 90 kWh/day being supplied by the grid. With 66 kWh being supplied by PV the system conservatively achieves a grid annual saving of more than $5,000 in addition to exporting excess PV energy of more than $2,000 annually.
The total dairy load is expected to rise as the business increases irrigation through the summer months. Provided that irrigation occurs during sunlight hours to make the most of the PV output, the savings will be higher.
The PV system is generating average 153 kWh/day or 56 MWh annually. The average daily utilisation of the PV yield is 43% from July to October. With the feed in rate received of 6.583 c/kWh the annual generated income from exported PV energy is around $2,094.
With the increase of solar utilisation expected due to irrigation through summer the income generated through solar export will be reduced; however, this means the total business savings provided by the system will be higher as the export rate of 6.583 c/kWh is far less than the grid supply rate of 22.5 c/kWh. There is potential to achieve a higher PV utilisation through further consolidation of NMIs such as merging the effluent pump into the NMI of the Dairy. The effluent pump has a load of 20 – 30 kWh/day which would increase the utilisation factor to 59%. This would reduce export earnings by $574 but increase grid savings by $2,000.
The total expenditure invested by the business was $46,000. With over $7,000 in annual savings from reduced grid supply and income generated from solar PV export the calculated payback period of this investment is 6.28 years with a return on investment of 15.9%.
Shifting loads to using more PV, when possible, can save the dairy more than $10,000 per year. The Return on Investment will improve to better than 33% with a Pay Back Period of under 3 years.
Solar Energy & Battery Storage Solutions can provide a comprehensive electrical data analysis for your business, Paul Reynolds on 0414 636 099.
Torie Harrison – eastAUSmilk Project Officer
Farmers need at least a 10c/L increase on 1 July
There have been massive increases in costs in the dairy industry over the past year as there have been across the broader economy. Large increases in the cost of fertiliser, fuel, chemicals and labour has had a substantial effect on the cost of producing milk both for farmers and processors. On top of this, many dairy farmers (and processors) have been very badly affected by flooding and continual wet weather putting further pressure on profitability.
So what does all this mean? From a farmer perspective, it means that for the majority of farmers cost have probably gone up by between 10 and 15c/L.
There continues to be farmer exodus from the industry on a weekly basis and there are no signs of this slowing down without a major shift in price. Production across Australia is down by 3% so far this financial year and processors are desperately short of milk.
Dairy farmers are not whinging for more money knowing that they will still continue to produce milk. Dairy farmers on mass are waiting to see what price increases will be offered before deciding whether to continue producing milk. There are plenty of attractive options for dairy farmers now besides just continuing to produce milk for little or no margin. The returns from beef are extremely strong and there is the opportunity to grow and sell crops rather than feed them to cows. Options to sell or lease farms are also attractive.
It is very positive to see some processors paying additional money to farmers in May and June this year in light of the substantial financial pressures on farmers. However, a 5c/L increase on 1 July would not even come close to what is required.
The bottom line is that if farmers don’t receive at least another 10c/L, it is very likely that the shortage of milk will increase. And it is much harder and more expensive to attract farmers back into the industry then keep them there by offering an attractive price to stay.
Eric Danzi - Co CEO, eastAUSmilk
Farmer engagement to set eastAUSmilk priorities
This year the dairy exhibitors put in a tremendous effort to prepare the cattle and attend the show. They battled with both the wet weather conditions and the staff shortage issues stemming from Covid-19 at home on their farms. It was an amazing to see them band together and put on an exception dairy display and particularly special this year as Sydney Royal Agricultural Show celebrated 200 years of the show.
Watching the dairy judging and walking through the shed the quality in the animals presented was exceptional. The judges gave praise to the exhibitors and all breeds were complimented on their various traits when the Supreme Champion was named. The ultimate award went to the Jersey breed.
EastAUSmilk Project Officer, Torie Harrison, and I attended the show which for many was their first introduction to eastAUSmilk. The engagement with farmers was very positive, we were able to make important inroads into the understanding and awareness of the what the organisation does and how this is vital to the long-term future of the dairy farmer and their industry.
It was a great opportunity to meet the farmers we are representing, to gather feedback on the organisations current work and hear from the grassroots what priorities eastAUSmilk should focus on for the year ahead.
It was a pleasure to be hosted by Max Wake and family of Benleigh Brown Swiss. Max is the longest serving dairy shed captain at the Sydney Royal Agricultural Show. Over lunch with Max in the Cafeteria he shared some of the history of the show. Max has attended the show every year since 1966. Although Max was only able to attend the show for 1 day in 1973 as he had just returned from his honeymoon.
Before heading home, we travelled to the South Coast with Ruth Kydd, the board representative for the region, engaging with more farmers in the region.
The continuous wet weather has put a huge strain on the dairying business and people in them. Loss of production and compromised animal health with lameness and milk quality issues is common. Most farms are also 6 to 8 weeks behind in planting Winter pasture and crops with a significantly smaller area being planted as it is just too wet to access some parts.
We hosted a dinner in both Shoalhaven and Jamberoo which were well attended. It was an important event for us to consult with more grassroots farmers but more important particularly at this time for farmers to come together to ensure the social and mental resilience of the industry.
Special thanks to Tim Cochrane for organising our visit to the South Coast. EastAUSmilk will be engaging with farmers in all areas of NSW in the coming weeks.
Lynelle Rogers – eastAUSmilk Executive Officer
Dairy Levy Poll – Lets all take notice
With the results in from the Dairy Levy Poll the farmers who pay the levy couldn’t have made their thoughts any clearer. An overwhelming majority of those who cast their votes backed the no change option. This was some 71% of voters who participated. A convincing result such as this can only occur when the alternative options provided are not to the liking of the voters. Possibly more disappointing is the option recommended by LPAC to farmers of an increase of 20% to the levy only received 15% of valid voter support. This raises the question was LPAC listening to the levy payers and is it the right mechanism to decide levy options in the future?
Some will no doubt say it’s not a judgment on the performance of LPAC who selected the options or Dairy Australia who receives and spends the levy funds, but rather a sign of tough times in the industry. I think this would be a naïve and unproductive approach. Farmers have not seen value in their levy and that’s why they have not backed an increase. As farmers are aware the only way to deal with a problem or as we often call it “a stuff up” is to acknowledge the error and deal with it head on. That’s what industry needs to do right now. Let’s put on the listening ears and take direction from the most important people in the industry, the levy paying Dairy Farmers.
What eastAUSmilk will be taking from this result is not the opportunity to tear down individuals or organisations who seem to have lost their way as farmer representatives in recent years and through the entire levy poll process, but rather a much-needed circuit breaker to wipe the slate clean and get it right from now on.
There are two vital questions for all industry bodies not just Dairy Australia to answer very soon. Is LPAC the best way to set future levy options and have the levy funds been spent in the best interests of the farmers who pay the levy?
Matthew Trace President eastAUSmilk
Automation Saved Labour, Water & Energy for Solid Set Irrigation
A Jaggan dairy has implemented an irrigation energy management opportunity from the energy audit report they received through the Energy Savers Plus Program Extension. Through the program the business received a dairy shed energy audit, carried out by AgVet Energy, as well as an irrigation energy audit, completed by The Energy Guys, both engaged by QDO.
The farm aims to increase their homegrown feed and have been increasing their irrigatable area with implementing sections of solid set irrigation systems.
With more and more sections of solid set irrigation systems to manage the business chose to invest in automation.
eastAUSmilk Project Officer, Jade Chan, and I visited the site and conducted a performance test on the irrigation to evaluate the actual energy savings and outcomes achieved since implementing a recommendation from the energy audit.
Installing an automation system to their solid set irrigation has resulted in labour-saving benefits.
When irrigating manually the irrigations would be run for twice in five-hour intervals (per station) which meant a late-night run into the paddocks to switch over the stations. To apply the 287ML per year there are 16 cycles of the 17 stations per year. With each cycle taking 9 nights the business was irrigating 144 nights per year.
Labour required to open and shut valves on the irrigator is estimated to be 15 mins costing the business approximately $2,880 per year. The new automation system uses a controller to manage irrigation scheduling with minimal time required to switch over sections.
The automation has also increased the water efficiency of business as previously there was approximately a 10% over application of irrigation. The improvements have allowed the irrigation to be applied across three-hour intervals instead of two five-hour intervals. Reducing the excessive application of irrigation water, saving 14ML.
Reducing the hours of irrigation also results in a lower energy use saving the business 4,861kWh annually.
With smaller application rates soil moisture remains at optimum for longer, smaller amounts are applied which reduces excess irrigation water applied and will improve pasture production.
The farm also upgraded the sprinklers on a section of the irrigations to improve their water use efficiency.
The pre-existing sprinklers were replaced with NaanDanJain 5035 sprinklers which improved the irrigation’s distribution of uniformity (Du). The new sprinklers were able to achieve 79.91% in comparison to the 58.4% achieved by the old sprinklers. This also increased the average application rate to 9.7mm/hr from 4.4mm/hr. Improving the irrigation efficiency of their solid set will also improve levels of production by increasing effective irrigatable area.
The total expenditure for the business to implement the upgrades was over $47,000. Valuing the increased pasture production at $5,000, plus the labour saving of $2,880 and $2,166 for electricity savings the calculated payback period of this investment is 4.7 years with a return on investment of 21.3%.
Torie Harrison – eastAUSmilk Project Officer
Big attendance at Dairy Resilience Dinners
Well we managed to pull it off. In two weeks eastAUSmilk hosted eight Dairy Resilience Dinners across the flood impacted regions of Queensland.
The meetings were held in Wondai, Kandanga, Maleny, Beaudesert, Plainlands, Allora, Toowoomba and Pinelands.
Another Dairy Resilience Dinner is to be held in Malanda at The Top Rail (Old RSL) on Thursday 21st April.
Please RSVP to 0437 923 398. Jade looks forward to seeing you there!
The events were a huge success with attendance reaching over 160 people. Big thank you to all our farmers who supported the events. I also need to thank the DAF Dairy Team and the eastAUSmilk team for their support made it possible.
When all types, social, sporting, community and industry events were being cancelled due to flooding it made me convinced that Dairy Resilience Dinners were needed now more than ever.
These events have been delivered through the Farm Business Resilience Program which aims to build the strategic management capacity of farmers to prepare for and manage business and climate risks.
Feedback received has been positive with most expressing the dinner was a great opportunity to get off farm for a couple of hours and check in on how our friends are coping. The general sentiment is that we should have more of these events for the dairy industry.
Discussions focused on the flood impacts on farm and the various assistance available for primary producers to assist their businesses with flood recovery as well as touching on the new drought assistance suite.
It was fantastic to have representatives from QRIDA, Rural Aid and the DAF Dairy Team in attendance to support the discussions.
The Farm Business Resilience Program are co-funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and the Queensland Government’s Drought and Climate Adaptation Program DCAP.
Torie Harrison – Project Manager eastAUSmilk
Who is going to pay?
We are starting to see the effects of the Russian – Ukraine conflict with fuel prices crashing through the $2 per litre barrier. Australia’s 26 million people use about 34 billion litres of fuel each year or about 1,300 litres per person. Based on the fuel price increases we have seen since last year, that’s an increase of about $1,000 per person.
While that sounds bad enough, that’s assuming that costs incurred by primary producers, transport and other businesses can be passed onto consumers.
Unfortunately getting markets to work in an open fashion is nearly always more hope than reality. It’s an undeniable fact that Governments of all persuasions want cheap food for the population. If too much is spent on food, it simply does not leave enough for discretionary spending and for Governments to tax us in some other way.
It is highly unlikely that the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) will make any decision that has an adverse effect on consumers.
If fuel was the only commodity that was increasing in price, it might be bearable, but this comes on top of fertiliser, chemicals and steel reaching extraordinary prices. Agricultural industries are still recovering from multiple drought years only to be hit with horrific flooding this year.
The latest figures from the Queensland Dairy Accounting Scheme (QDAS) show that the average QDAS farm spent $60,000 last year on fertiliser and fuel. That figure will at least double this year. The biggest impact on dairy costs might still be coming with upward pressure on grain markets already seen this month.
What happens in Ukraine this month is extremely critical for grain prices. The Autumn planted wheat should be fertilised now for a June harvest and the Spring planting should be near completion. How much of that is actually getting done is anyone’s guess.
As bad as this situation is, it’s also an opportune time with a federal election looming for our dairy advocacy groups to ask the question of our political leaders and everyone in the dairy supply chain – “are you prepared to pay a sustainable price for high quality Australian grown produce? “
“Well, are you?”
Ross McInnes – District Councillor eastAUSmilk
Dairy Levy Poll - Vote Now!
Flood recovery has been front of mind at present and you could be forgiven if you have forgotten all about the dairy levy poll because honestly, we had too.
If you are yet to submit your vote, be sure to do so today. Voting in the Dairy Levy Poll is due to close Thursday, 31st March. Everyone who pays the levy is eligible to vote.
Voting is easy to do online at dairypoll.com.au you will just need your member number which can be found on the ballot paper in the information pack mailed out by Dairy Australia last month. If you do not wish to vote online you can use the ballot paper and submit by email or fax. It is likely too late to send it in by post.
There are four levy options to vote on, being no change to the levy, an increase of 15%, an increase of 20% (which is recommended by the Advisory Committee) or an increase of 25%.
The dairy levy poll is using ‘preferential voting’ where you number the options one to four in order of your preference.
Once the votes are counted, if one of the options has an absolute majority, over 50% of the votes, then that would be the winning option.
If no option has an absolute majority, then the option with the least votes is eliminated from the count with the votes for the eliminated option being redistributed among the remaining options according to the second preference.
If the eliminated ballot did not mark a second preference, then the ballot is deemed ‘exhausted’ and excluding from further counts.
This process continues until one of the options achieves an absolute majority.
This is the first time in 10 years that we have the opportunity to vote on the amount that levy payers will need to contribute into the future. The outcome of the vote will affect all levy payers so it is important as many levy payers as possible have their say and submit a vote.
Torie Harrison – Project Team eastAUSmilk
Lismore floods - a farmer’s perspective
Peter Graham of Rich River Farms, Coraki in New South Wales knew this flood was going to be a significant one due to prior rainfall on the Thursday, Friday (300ml), Saturday (500ml) which came down from the three catchment areas, that were already full, into the Wilsons River.
Sunday night at 5 minutes to 10 Peter received a text from a friend to say there is a lot of water coming your way mate, so be prepared. The three catchments upstream were at record levels of 15.4 meters.
Never has this level of water been seen before.
On the home front internet was intermittent so Peter couldn’t even check the BOM, but when he finally did it hit home for him and his family.
Living on a flood plain and experiencing the levels of previous floods, Peter had some idea what he and his family were in for, but not to the magnitude of what did happen, such was the amount of water and speed in which it was travelling.
‘Compare this flood to other floods it would normally take 12 hours to fill our basin, this flood took 4 hours’.
When Peter arose on the Monday morning, across the gully he saw 100 odd cows stranded, which didn’t want to move and to get to the cows was going to be a mammoth task. Experiencing a moment of anxiety after seeing the cows he had no answers as to how to get to them – only hope that they would be safe in the long term.
What goes through your mind at that moment?
Peter feels very fortunate today as he reflects on the past weeks, he knows he has lost a few cattle where he leases property but can’t get to that property at the moment to see the aftermath.
On the Sunday night after the storm Peter had no power for 9 days due to a generator malfunction and not being able to source another one immediately. He has been milking once a day for the past week and his first load of milk was picked up on Saturday morning.
With the ongoing issue of dealing with mud, mastistis, machinery issues and the list goes on this flood will go down in history for all the wrong reasons.
The enormity of the situation becomes apparent and raises some very valid questions as to ‘why am doing this’? Because I love being a dairy farmer and I love my cows!
Lynelle Rogers – Executive Assistant eastAUSmilk
Invisible Dangers after a Flood
It seems like we can’t catch a break, first the fires, then the drought and now floods. Farmers have been affected all around South East Queensland and North East NSW where there is a big clean-up job and damage assessments underway. However, these wet and humid conditions that follow a flood event are the ideal environments for bacterial diseases to thrive posing a risk to yourself as well as staff who are assisting with clean up.
In previous floods the rates of Leptospirosis, Melioidosis and mosquito borne viruses (Ross River, Barmah Forest virus etc) increase. Incubation periods are 5-15 days for Leptospirosis, 1-21 days for melioidosis and 2-15 for mosquito borne viruses although symptoms can present up to 30 days after.
Symptoms include:
Leptospirosis – flu like symptoms, red eyes, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, cough, yellowing of skin and eyes, skin rash
Melioidosis – Fever, pain/swelling, chest pain, headache, stomach pain, joint pain, all depending on where the infection is present
Mosquito Borne Virus - headache, fever, joint or muscle pain, skin rash, fatigue and nausea
Minimising your risk:
Cover cuts and abrasions,
Wear gloves where possible and wash hands thoroughly before eating, drinking and/or smoking
Shower thoroughly after contacting contaminated floodwaters, soil and mud
Application of insect repellent, especially dawn & dusk; wearing loose, light coloured clothing
Use respiratory protection (P2 or higher) if possible to minimise melioidosis infection
Various Government and Non-government assistance is available and the list continues to grow for those who are affected by the floodwaters.
Government:
Disaster recovery payment - $1000 per person, $400 per child under 16 for eligible LGA’s
Emergency hardship assistance grants - $180 per person, $900 for families of 5+ persons
Extraordinary Disaster Assistance Recovery Grants - $75,000 for flood affected producers
Disaster assistance loans – Up to $250,000 for 10 years
Not for profit:
Rural aid – financial aid, fodder, farm army and counselling
Lions NEED4FEED – assistance with emergency fodder
Drought Angels – financial support and farm assistance
BlazeAid – resurrecting fences and clean up
Please feel free to contact with the team at eastAUSmilk on 07 3236 2955 or Jade on 0437 923 398 if you need any assistance with application forms, resources and/or want to register for BlazeAid to come to your property to help with fencing.
Jade Chan – Project Officer eastAUSmilk
Mandatory Dairy Code needs further changes over coming 12 months
The Federal Department of Agriculture has said that the Mandatory Dairy Code is "working as intended" in its first mandated review of the Dairy Code. Surely the question is whether this is good enough.
We do not oppose the suggested recommendations within the report. Indeed we welcome them and we call upon the Federal Government to implement them immediately.
Yet the report also states that, in referring to the ACCC review of the dairy industry that there is 'market failure'. When will this be addressed? Farmgate prices might be good now but for how long?
Dairy farmers need the Code to be more than "working as intended". Dairy farmers want a Code that continues to adapt to its environment and ensures that is able to be enhanced to grow with the dairy industry over time.
This is what we need the Code to be - a mechanism that enables dairy farmers to engage with their processors to ensure a strong and transparent farmgate price. We want an Australian dairy industry that will grow not stagnate.
To do this we need dairy stakeholder support, we need government initiatives and above all, we need dairy farmers and processors to work constructively together so that the Code can continue to be more than "working as intended".
The report, based upon submissions and consultation that occurred over the past 12 months, has shown that government and dairy industry players can work constructively as we guide the Code to new levels of accountability and dairy growth. This needs to continue and the Department's dairy consultative group needs to be reconvened and that positive engagement continued.
This will ensure that our messages are heard and where they can, acted upon in a timely manner and in the best interests of dairy farmers.
Having said this, there is a third player in the supply chain that seems to be ignored. Supermarkets and retailers should no longer play a role outside the operations of the Code.
Dairy is quite different to other agricultural commodity groups and the Code could provide greater certainty for dairy farmers and processors within the dairy value-chain, especially if the Code is extended to include their interactions with supermarkets. The protections afforded to fresh food farmers within the Food and Grocery Code are not providing the safeguards needed.
It is about looking at what works and finding ways for a constructive way forward. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Examples and precedents lay in Codes already in existence and operation, especially clauses within the Franchising and Sugar Codes.
Members of eastAUSmilk are here ready for the challenge. All those in government and elsewhere need to do is call upon us.
Shaughn Morgan – Co CEO eastAUSmilk
Let’s set our own future
On December 1, 2021, eastAUSmilk began with the merging of QDO and Dairy Connect Farmers group. It is a new concept that allows a fresh start and a chance to do things a little differently. While we have a strong presence and long history in both QLD and NSW it's time to have a good look at what we do well, and what we can do better.
One of the important tasks that eastAUSmilk will need to complete over the coming months is to develop a strategic plan. This may sound a bit boring, but it is actually important for our company and our members. A strategic plan will identify why we exist and what we want to achieve for our members. It's a chance for the board, the company and members to identify issues we need to address and then prioritise.
This is not something that the board and staff of eastAUSmilk can do alone. We need the assistance and insight from our members, and our potential members, on what direction we should take.
Over the past 5 years there has been a strong focus on retail pricing given $1/L milk. Both QDO and Dairy Connect that make up eastAUSmilk played a central role in removing $1/L milk and now all milk is at least $1.30/L. The price is now moving up, which is sensible given increases in costs of production, without the anchor of a fixed retail price. Moving forward, we need to decide what else to focus our attention on in the next few years.
We will undertake an extensive consultation process with our members and potential members. We will listen to what our farmers think we should do and we will ensure that these views are properly taken into account. We will not ignore what farmers tell us but embrace your feedback.
Member meetings will occur across QLD and NSW during March and April. I strongly encourage all interested dairy farmers to attend and have their say. Dairy farmers will be notified about the details of proposed meetings in March.
Yes you have been asked for feedback many times by many in the dairy industry and I too feel that we have not always been listened to. This is a chance to be heard by a growing organisation that values your opinions.
Please contact your eastAUSmilk directors or staff if you would like to know more.
Matthew Trace– President eastAUSmilk
