Many in dairy farming circles do not see January 26 as a day to be remembered with celebration. Rather it is the birthday of one of the most callous and damaging events to scorn the Australian domestic milk market and industry. That was of course the start of the ongoing Coles led retail milk price war and the start of $1 milk on Australia day 2011.
To reflect on this each year QDO delivers awards that are for people or organisations whose actions are un-Australian and against a fair go for all. Of course the first steaming cow pat award must again go to Coles for continuing to promote their $1 milk campaign with a special mention to all the other supermarkets who continue to sell milk at an unsustainable price.
Next is the charter boat cow pat award which must go to all the parliamentarians who still see no problem with the domestic milk market and the huge market power of the supermarket duopoly. These big business/big union lackeys in the Labor and Liberal parties have, according to what seem reliable government leaks, swallowed the supermarkets propaganda that the much needed ‘effects test’ would prevent all sorts of great things including the release of a new iPhone. This ignores the fact that Australia is one of only two first world economies that do not have the equivalent of an ‘effects test’.
The hypocrisy cow pat award this year goes to the Queensland Government, for introducing an ethanol mandate which will lead to higher grain prices. By supporting the ethanol industry the government has ignored the impacts on dairy and other intensive grain users. Another cow pat is awarded to the government for continuing to promote solar panels on homes thereby further reducing the efficiency of the electricity grid and pushing up operational costs to the remaining users of the grid. This has already delivered a far higher price even when compared to green powered grids as in California.
Next the Magpie cow pat award which is for those who consistently go out of their way to attack others. This year’s magpie award is shared between two winners with the same surname.
That is of course John and Wallace Gunthorpe. These guys, who as far as I am aware, have no direct connection to the Queensland dairy industry have attacked QDO and me every time we have raised Queensland’s dairy’s very real concerns around proposed changes to national BJD management.
Even more ridiculous have been the claims that QDO and dairy were newcomers to BJD management and that we were out of touch with our membership on this issue – our yearly member survey shows 96 per cent of dairy farmers want to maintain the current safeguards.
The first thing the Gunthorpes need to do is present to us the survey results outlining the wishes of beef producers across the national beef industry on the issue. Of course there hasn’t been a national survey, which then questions on what authority they can speak in relation to the beef and dairy industries. People are shaking their heads across the east coast dairy industry waiting to see if they come up with some new far-fetched claims. So go for your life guys – you’re the award winners. I must apologise though to all the magpie lovers as QDO means no insult to that loveable bird.
