Aussie dairy industry reassured as US, UK farmers forced to dump milk

Australian dairy farmers are being assured there is “little risk” they will have to dump milk amid coronavirus lockdowns like farmers in the US and UK. Here’s how our situation compares.

DAIRY farmers in the US and the UK have been forced to dump milk amid the coronavirus crisis, but Australian farmers are being assured it won’t happen here.

Boxler Dairy in Varysburg, New York, said the need for wholesale dairy had rapidly declined due to the closure of restaurants, schools and food service businesses as part of lockdowns in the US.

“The sudden shift from wholesale food service markets to retail stores has created a logistical and packaging nightmare for plants processing milk, butter, and cheese — to put this into perspective, about half of consumers’ food budget was spent at restaurants and it would take millions of dollars to switch a plant from producing for wholesale to producing for retail,” Nikki Boxler said.

“Watching your hard work literally go down the drain is heart-wrenching — the wasted product represents our livelihood and the massive amount of hard work that takes place year-round to produce it.”

In the UK, the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers estimates food service sector orders have dropped by about 70-80 per cent.

“This equates to about one million litres of milk being produced every day that has got nowhere to go,” the industry body said.

Dairy farmer Rod Whiteman from Staffordshire, England, had to tip milk down the drain when a dairy distributor did not collect from his family farm, with more stringent handling procedures, staff shortages and slower production causing delays.

“If dairy producers go under, there is a risk to our food security,” Mr Whiteman said.

“Farms cannot be restocked with new cattle overnight if large portions of the national dairy herd go to slaughter.”

But despite the confronting footage from overseas, Australian dairy farmers are being assured there is little risk of milk needing to be dumped here.

“These are turbulent times and we feel for our colleagues in the northern hemisphere because spring marks the start of their peak milk production period, but it’s a different situation in Australia,” Australian Dairy Industry Council chair and Australian Dairy Farmers president Terry Richardson said.

“The dairy processing sector has a strong track record of ensuring the reliable collection of raw milk over many years and through various crises.”

A National Response Group has been formed, with representatives from ADF, the Australian Dairy Products Federation and Dairy Australia, to ensure supply chains keep operating.

ADPF president Grant Crothers said Australian dairy farmers’ milk would continue to be collected, with “no reason whatsoever for milk to be dumped”. “Should any dairy processor not be able to pick up milk, they’d simply need to pick up the phone and call another processor or the ADPF,” Mr Crothers said.

— with Storyful