The Fair Go Dairy Scheme is an initiative of the Queensland Dairy Organisation (QDO), which has support from the Queensland government, to be able to place a logo on brands of milk, sold on our supermarket shelves, which deliver a fair price to dairy farmers in Queensland.
The pilot program, if successful, could pave the way for other states to follow and give consumers transparency and confidence the milk they buy, stamped with the Fair Go logo, is directly benefiting dairy farmers.
I have lobbied heavily for this scheme since I first introduced the Fair Milk Mark Bill in 2013 and the Fair Milk Logo Bill in 2016 to state parliament. This convinced the state government to provide initial funding towards the design and release of QDO’s Fair Go Dairy Logo Scheme.
Since the scheme was announced, there have been several challenges to the ACCC, with, I firmly believe, the backing and prodding by certain major supermarkets and processors to try to stop the logo from being launched.
The question needs to be asked: Why?
If major supermarkets and processors truly support our dairy farmers, then they should have no issue in allowing consumers to clearly identify which milk provides a fair price to dairy farmers.
Instead we see slick propaganda campaigns, trumpeting support for our dairy farmers, when in reality dairy farms are disappearing and the industry could be gone within 10 years.
Yes, it’s that bad.
A once thriving industry has been devastated by government deregulation, unscrupulous processors and the supermarket milk wars.
I have no doubt the challenges to the ACCC and the latest challenge to their ruling is a delaying tactic to attempt to exhaust QDO funds, in the hope they will give up.
I am warning those particular major supermarkets and processors (they know who they are) that the Fair Go logo WILL be launched.
If you are not supporting the Fair Go logo, you will suffer a severe backlash from everyday Queensland consumers who want to see our dairy farmers paid a fair price for the milk they produce.
