MILK PRICING COSTING FNQ JOBS AND INDUSTRY

The farcical comments today from Coles marketing manager/spin doctor shows they just don't get it and think we are a bunch of morons. This is a ploy to corner the market like they did with fuel. Choke the farmers out and then charge what you like when you have a monopoly on milk. The other arm to this strategy is that it chokes small corner stores, local shops etc that rely on foot traffic associated with buying milk. Again, choke out the independents and then jack up prices.
At least 20 farmers have folded from the Tablelands sincen this practice commenced. If Coles/Wollies were fair dinkum about 'responding to customers' and not just trying to choke the diary industry to manipulate prices, why won't they drop the price of branded milk like Dairy Farmers that uses FNQ produced milk? With former contracts to provide milk for the no name brands not renewed means if there is no demand for branded milk, because no name is a $1/llitre, the FNQ dairy industry will grind to a halt.
If these supermarkets are telling the truth, then drop the price of Dairy Farmers/Mungali/any other brand using FNQ milk to $1/litre.
here is my media release-

The Katter’s Australian Party Cairns candidate Darren Hunt says the recent actions by major supermarkets on milk pricing is costing Far North Queensland jobs and placing our dairy industry in danger of closure.

Mr Hunt said “The claims by Coles today that they are merely responding to consumers call for cheaper prices is rubbish. If that is true I call on Coles and Woolworths to drop the branded milk using Queensland produced milk to $1 per litre, instead of just the unbranded Victorian produced milk, and let consumers decide.”

“These actions are costing FNQ jobs. Farmers are walking away with about 20 lost to FNQ since this pricing scheme started. The argument it doesn’t change the farm gate price is correct, but the issue is if there is no demand for the branded milk due to the unfair pricing of Victorian produced no-name brands then there won’t be anything paid at the farm gate and our industry will fold.”

“There has been an overall decrease in milk consumption despite the reduced supermarket costs. The actions by these supermarkets are exactly what they did with fuel prices. It is their aim to squeeze the local independents out so they can move in and have a monopoly on milk. Just like fuel, once the independents are gone, milk prices will go through the roof.”

“If Coles stands by it’s comments it is only about providing for consumers, then let’s see them drop the Queensland produced milk price or we will know they are simply talking dairy cow manure.”


Darren Hunt
Australian Party Candidate for Cairns