Member for Wannon Dan Tehan said the mandatory code would improve the contractual arrangements between dairy farmers and dairy processors and would be in place before the timetable taken to the last federal election.
“As the local member for Wannon I understand the need for clear safeguards outlining how farmers are treated as members of the supply chain and therefore the need for the code to be in place as soon as possible,” he said.
“Ahead of the code’s formal introduction, the dairy industry is on notice to make sure that the contracts offered to farmers are appropriate and fair.”
Mr Tehan said the mandatory code was an election promise and was an outcome of the April 2018 Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s report into the dairy sector.
“The dairy industry has had a significant role in developing the code, and I look forward to the release of the exposure code later this week,” he said.
“Consultation on the exposure code will be open for four weeks and, from January 2020, the industry will be bound by the new code.
“Stakeholder consultation is an essential component in the development of this mandatory code, so I encourage all those in the [insert place] dairy industry to review it and have a say.”