WA Farmers’ Tony York
WAFarmers congratulates the Coalition Government’s decision to offer support to dairy farmers affected by the dairy crisis in the eastern states.
“We have great sympathy for the dairy farmers and their families over in the eastern states who have been affected, and we welcome Barnaby Joyce’s decision to offer support through this concessional package,” WAFarmers President Tony York said.
“A lot of dairy businesses in Australia are family-owned and operated, so the support offered through the package will help to secure their livelihoods and give them confidence that they can get back on their feet.”
WAFarmers encourages consumers to continue to buy locally produced dairy products to ensure that farmers in WA do not end up in a similar situation.
Mr York said while the Western Australian dairy industry had not been hit as hard as the eastern states, and does not at this stage qualify for assistance, the public could show their support for the state’s dairy producers by increasing their fresh milk purchases.
“While many consumers would prefer to buy local at this time, we encourage the purchase of any brand of fresh milk at this time in Western Australia,” he said.
“The purchase of any local milk supports farmers in Western Australia as 93 per cent of milk sold in WA is produced here, so get down to the dairy aisle in your supermarket and buy an extra carton or two of fresh milk.
“Ninety per cent of Australian adults do not get their three serves of dairy foods recommended daily in the Australian Dietary Guidelines, so it is a win-win situation for everyone involved if people buy more milk; consumers can increase their dairy intake at the same time as supporting local dairy farmers.”
Mr York said WAFarmers would continue to tackle the oversupply problem through the shipment of WAFarmersFirst Milk to China, a result of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
WAFarmers encourages any dairy farmers and their families who may be struggling with the effects of these dairy industry difficulties and who many need to talk to someone to call Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14 or Beyondblue on 1300 224 636.