United Workers Union calls for Royal Commission into Australia’s dairy sector
Calls for a royal commission into the dairy industry, including the sector’s transparency, have been backed by a key trade union body.
ONE of Australia’s largest trade unions has backed farmer calls for a Royal Commission into the dairy industry.
The United Workers Union indicated support for a federal probe into the sector, backing calls by activist group Farmer Power.
“In order to ensure that workers, farmers and communities are included in the future plans
for the dairy industry, a Royal Commission is needed,” UWU food and beverages director Susie Allison said.
“A Royal Commission is also well placed to address the systematic problems within the dairy industry as well as any conflicts of interest.
“We know that action needs to be taken now in order to secure the dairy industry for
generations to come and that a Royal Commission is an effective platform to allow that
action to come to light.”
Farmer Power chief executive Garry Power said the UWU move was significant, given the union represented more than 4000 workers across the dairy sector.
He said the Federal Government needed to recognise the building momentum for transparency in the sector, after a turbulent number of years following the 2016 clawback initiated by Fonterra and Murray Goulburn.
Dairy Connect chief executive Shaughn Morgan has also backed calls for a Royal Commission. He said that while the industry had been regularly inspected and analysed, there has never been a broad-ranging inquiry with judicial powers.
“There have been a number of stakeholder and parliamentary committees looking into the dairy industry over many years with many of their reports now gathering dust on the shelves o parliamentary libraries and MP offices,” Mr Morgan said.
MORE
DAIRY BOUNCES BACK FROM BIG DRY
US regulators back dairy in the diet
While it may be fashionable with some to dismiss dairy, some of America’s best nutritionists have confirmed it’s beneficial to have some milk, yoghurt and cheese in our diets.
Call to examine farmgate freeze
Dairy Connect chief executive Shaughn Morgan has called for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to examine this season’s static farmgate figures.