Lovers of fresh milk are encouraged to support Queensland’s dairy farmers and make a submission to the Katter Party’s fair milk price legislation by next month.
Driven by Member for Tablelands Shane Knuth, whose electorate covers the Tableland’s dairy industry, the legislation wants to establish the eligibility criteria and legal protection for voluntary ‘fair milk price’ logos to be placed on containers of milk.
The logos are are designed to inform consumers the region where the milk was produced and the dairy farmer who produced the milk received a certain minimum price for the milk.
Queensland Dairy Organisation northern chairman James Geraghty, who farms at Millaa Millaa, said while the logo would not solve the industry’s problems, it was “another tool in the shed”.
“The industry is supportive and was involved with writing the bill,” Mr Geraghty said.
“It’s voluntary and does not involve regulation, and will be consumer driven. It gives consumers a choice.
“When the milk comes in with the mark on it, which means those farmers have been paid a sustainable price, then consumers can approach retailers and ask for milk with that mark.”
Mr Geraghty said the Katter Party, in particular Mr Knuth and his Atherton office, should be congratulated for pushing the bill, and he hoped Queensland’s two political parties wouldn’t let politics get in the way when voting takes place.
The bill also provides for the setting of a minimum price to be paid to dairy farmers in a region for the production of milk to carry a fair milk price logo, calculated using the Queensland Government’s Queensland Dairy Accounting Scheme.
Submissions close on 3 January 2017.
