The NSW Farmers Association will be using the upcoming Senate inquiry into the dairy industry to highlight flaws with the competition framework for dairy farmers.NSW Farmers Association dairy committee chair Colin Thompson said the benefits of competitive markets had not been passed onto dairy farmers and these structural flaws needed to be fixed.“Dairy farmers want competitive markets where they are paid a fair price for their milk,” he said.
“Currently we are not operating in a fair market and hence we do not have any power to improve the prices we receive.“Dairy farmers work hard and produce a nutrient-dense product but these values are not being reflected in the price paid for our milk."NSW Farmers Association has called for reform to Australia’s National Competition Policy to address power inequities in the dairy supply chain.“It is critical that our national competition policy includes a specific fairness provision that looks at bargaining power and ensures viable supply chains,” Mr Thompson said.
“We are at the bottom of the supply chain and no matter how hard we work we are not getting a fair return.”
