Struggling dairy farmers demand Coles, Woolworths and Aldi supermarkets add a 40 cent per litre levy on milk to help them after battling through drought, fires and a pandemic
- Australian farmers calling on an increase of dairy levy to 40c per litre on milk
- Farmers have struggled through drought, fire and COVID-19 and require support
- Agriculture Minister David Little Proud called on supermarkets to increase levy
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Dairy farmers have requested supermarkets increase the levy on their dairy products to 40c as they struggle to make ends meet.
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said if Coles, Woolworths and Aldi increased the levy it would allow farmers to ‘play on an even playing field’.
He said Australian farmers have struggled through drought, fire and the impacts of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic and required the support as the industry pushes on.
Dairy farmers have requested supermarkets increase the levy on their dairy products to 40c as they struggle to make ends meet. Pictured: Milk on sale at a Sydney supermarket
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said if Coles, Woolworths and Aldi increased the levy it would allow farmers to ‘play on an even playing field’
‘This has come off the back of many years of devaluation of the industry with retailers selling milk for only a dollar per litre,’ Mr Littleproud said in a statement.
‘I have asked them to each individually consider extending and increasing the amount of the support they provide dairy farmers who faithfully supply products across the full dairy cabinet.’
Queensland Nationals Senator Susan McDonald is threatening a Royal Commission if supermarkets don’t increase prices immediately, ABC reported.
Aldi will look at reviewing the decision to increase the levy in September to ‘ensure we support a strong and sustainable dairy industry’, Nine News reported.
Coles said they will look at the options to ensure farmers are paid a fair price while customers continue to have access to ‘affordable household staples’.
Woolworths has already provided a hefty $43.5million in relief to 450 Australian dairy farmers as part of the levy.
Peter Graham, who has a dairy farm at Codrington on the North Coast of New South Wales, has requested a higher government levy.
He said the industry has become the ‘basket case of the dairy industry globally’ and needed that extra 30c to 40c to cope.
‘We have to become viable and we have to be able to reinvest and the only way to do that is with funds,’ he told ABC.
‘Until we receive what is sustainable to encourage a new generation back into the game, it’s not going to be a long-term fix.’
Farmers have requested an increase in the dairy levy by up to 40c per litre (stock)