OPINION: Extra few dollars are so worth it for our farmers
COMING from a hobby farming background and with close family friends having cattle property in north Queensland, this is something close to my heart.
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IT put a smile on my face when I saw one of our online reader polls had revealed the majority of respondents would spend the extra few dollars on milk if it meant supporting our local daily farmers.
Coming from a hobby farming background and with close family friends having cattle property in north Queensland, this is something close to my heart.
There were 92% of respondents who said they would spend the extra few dollars to support our local farmers.
No-one said they would buy the lower priced milk first (see results below)
I was pleasantly surprised.
Plans to adjust the Competition and Consumer Act would mean independent sellers like Dion Burton, who owns Burton's Fraser Coast milk, are able to fight back against anti-competitive price wars.
Earlier this year, Mr Burton, refused to be contracted to national chain retailer Coles for the sale of his milk.
I can't blame him.
Dion's retail price was set at $1.50 per one litre bottle to cover costs, but he and other independent dairies are being undercut by larger retailers who were selling milk at the shops for less than the dairy's production costs.
While I know the cost of living is on the rise, I strongly believe we should band together to support our farmers when we make choices at the shops.
While having the discussion at work, one of my colleagues, who grew up on a cattle property, said growing up and still to this day, her mum will only ever buy Australian grown.
Their milk of choice growing up was Dairy Farmers strictly because it was owned by Australian Farmers Corp.
Talking with a lady at the grocery store just last week, we stood near the milk having this exact discussion about buying as local as we possibly can.
Do you make a conscious effort to support our local farmers while shopping? Or does price overrule this decision?
Join the discussion and tell us below.
Originally published as OPINION: Extra few dollars are so worth it for our farmers
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