Calls to buy more expensive milk to help milk producers

tebbybabes on 20/05/2016 - 15:51

I'm seeing increasing efforts of people to try and help struggling farmers by promoting the purchasing of more expensive branded milk products rather than the cheap store brand milk.

I'm all for supporting the farmers but buying the more expensive milk just doesn't make sense to me. I've done a bit of googling and am still confused as to how buying more exxy milk helps. What I've gathered is that the supermarkets and milk processors are the ones dictating what price milk should be. How the heck does that make sense? Why can't a farmer just refuse to sell milk if the price is too low? Could an OPEC for milk producers be a solution?

I just the strong impression that whatever milk we buy, the extra price isn't going to the farmer anyway. It would just go to the milk processor. So what's the point??

Food & Grocery

Comments

  • tassieeagle on 20/05/2016 - 15:58
    +14

    Good question, I just assumed with "brand name" milk the extra you pay just lines the middle man's pocket more. Would like to hear an informed answer too

    • mskeggs on 20/05/2016 - 17:47
      +28

      hahahahahahaha.
      Paul's is owned by the global Parmalat group. Riverina fresh by Fonterra, Dairy Farmers by Japanese brewer Kirin.
      None of these companies are in the business of minimising profits (although at least Fonterra is still owned by NZ dairy farmers).

        • mskeggs on 22/05/2016 - 17:02
          +19

          But how will sending more profit to the milk company brands help farmers? The tanker comes to the farm and takes the milk to the factory where it is pasteurised and homogenised etc. then it goes into the $1 bottle or the brand name bottle.
          How does paying more help the farmer?

        • jorf on 23/05/2016 - 07:46
          +19

          @Pacify:

          It definitely does come from the same sources. The supply contracts are also quite short (like 6 months), so the homebrand labels change source quite frequently. Any perceived difference in quality is in your head.

        • smartazz104 on 23/05/2016 - 07:54
          +15

          @Pacify: You think the $1 milk comes from weak cows or something?

        • Pacify on 23/05/2016 - 11:17
          +2

          @gokhanh:

          Try $1 milk and any other brand, harvey fresh or pura or what ever, while blind folded. You can easily taste the difference. I don't know what they do to make $1 milk taste like shit, its probably in their processing, but it definitely tastes far more watery.

        • nikey2k27 on 23/05/2016 - 11:56
          +4

          @mskeggs: It will not give farmer more money but what it will do sent msgs coles and Woolworth that it not on. http://www.afr.com/brand/rear-window/coles-john-durkan-hurti…

        • imtahir7 on 23/05/2016 - 15:27
          +2

          @Pacify:

          I agree with you 100% i find it more watery also. There is a difference.

          I buy some of the more expensive brands when they are close to the due date.

        • Musing Outloud on 23/05/2016 - 19:28
          +7

          @nikey2k27: Woolworths took a different path as a result of Coles introducing the $1 a litre price point.

          Yes there is Woolworths basic own brand milk, but Woolworths (as an Australian company) also did a deal direct with some Dairy Farmers to create "Farmers Own Milk" brand to bypass the internationally owned milk companies: https://www.woolworths.com.au/Shop/Discover/our-brands/farme…

          So consumers have a choice. It is up to consumers to exercise that choice.

          Disclosure: I work at Woolies and try to be aware where my purchases will have best effect. That is my choice.

        • dexx on 24/05/2016 - 12:46
          +5

          @mskeggs:
          The milk producers are missing a golden opportunity here. If they were to advertise "we buy milk from local dairies and pay farmers the highest rates in the business" people would flock to that brand.

        • imurgod on 24/05/2016 - 19:46

          It may well be in my head, but I find the same thing

        • zorrt on 25/05/2016 - 09:56
          +1

          @Pacify: From what I've been told by someone who works there, the milk are exactly the same and all they do is change the packaging over

        • Vita85 on 25/05/2016 - 15:40
          +3

          @zorrt: Yep, exactly the same from a mate that works at the local milk factory. It is the exact same milk. You're paying more for a different label on the bottle. Shows how human psychology works that when something is more expensive or perceived to be better, the brain fools you into thinking it actually tastes better.

          And they love people that buy the low fat milk. They simply extract the fat from the regular milk, sell it on and basically sell you coloured water for more profit.

        • VBO on 25/05/2016 - 16:41

          @Pacify:

          Do a blind taste test I bet you cannot tell the difference.

        • ozshopper1 on 25/05/2016 - 18:30

          I would prefer the farmers to sell direct. I am happy to pay the full $1.50 per liter to the farmer.

        • nikey2k27 on 26/05/2016 - 04:16

          @Musing Outloud: Farmer own not in North Queensland must say bigger Woolworth do a good job put my local milk on the self.

        • Pacify on 26/05/2016 - 13:56

          @VBO: I have, with whole $1 woolies milk versus whole Harvey Fresh milk. The difference is beyond easy to tell

        • beesa888 on 27/05/2016 - 13:07

          @Pacify: I don't know why you've been negged so hard. I agree $1 milk definitely feels watery going down. It also lacks taste and that creamy texture compared to regular full cream milk.

          Having said that, I'm sure milk comes from the same source(farm/plant), however it must be the way the milk is process which results in the milk tasting so different.

          When I have cereal with $1 milk, it really just taste like cereal and water…

      • melfes on 24/05/2016 - 00:37

        Have a question , why did farmers agree to supermarket source price in the first place? Same to all the supermarket branded products.. why did the manufacturers allow this to happen which in long run will sure to bite back? seems suicidal feeding the beast that later devours everyone.

        • dexx on 24/05/2016 - 12:47
          +4

          who else are they going to sell to? Its that or go out of business

        • effgee on 25/05/2016 - 07:20
          +1

          @dexx:

          This is the real issue. They have no other choice but to accept whatever price they are offered. I'm amazed though that it is deemed legal for these large companies to effectively force them into a contract that allows the price to be changed retrospectively. THAT is something the government should address, it is clearly abuse of market power by MG & Fronterra.

          I suspect it would have been a completely different situation if MG had stayed as a cooperative, with farmers still in control of one of the major players this situation would never have happened. I wonder if the farmers could form a new cooperative…but they wouldn't own any processing infrastructure.

          The only practical route I can see is to continue buying cheap milk, but
          * use social media to shame the retailers and big processors
          * donate money direct to the farmers (NOT buy paying top dollar to middlemen)
          * pressure both political parties to fix it, possibly by a levy but preferably by preventing the abuse of market power

        • sellingoutsoon on 25/05/2016 - 12:17

          @effgee: There seems to be an oversupply of milk in NSW, which is not good for farmers. The way contracts are done, infrastructure increases paid by the farmers in hope of meeting quotas means too much capacity, with nowhere to sell should the contracts change (as they have done) and no easy way to service the debt. What's worse is the tier structure providing them with 1/3 of the wholesale price for anything they supply above quota. It's the model that's unsustainable. Sad to see Australian primary industry fall to foreign ownership, but to some extent they walked into it, which is even sadder. A simplistic yet historically plausible solution is for the farmers to work together in a similar way to how the wine industry works. Not easy with perishable stock, but they need to gain power and resist being the victim. Inevitably, some will need to go, as their capacity is not needed since demand stays relatively stable. Exporting the milk to China is another profitable option, with its own set of issues, of course. But that's certainly an option since the excess capacity is already there. Or export more cheese…

        • nikey2k27 on 26/05/2016 - 04:20

          @effgee: Buy milk that is best for you. if cheap bands that ok. There is market for cheap brand milk or big guy would not be selling.

      • boomramada on 26/05/2016 - 15:10

        The Coles and Woolies causing the milk price to drop is all bull??!!
        Based on the current stats,

        Australia export 34% of its milk production.
        From remaining 66%, Drinking milk is 25% (which means 16.5% of total).

        But according to news.com.au ??, Coles and Woolies market share is around 6.5% domestic production.

        So seriously, that 6.5% of total production cause value of milk to drop????

        Its all to do with global market, I doubt to see the impact on milk price based on people not buying Coles and Woolies milk. All I can see is the benefit for lower income earners and smart people by saving their money on something more useful.

        resources:
        http://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/Industry-information/About-…

        http://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/any-support-i…

    • martyn on 22/05/2016 - 20:48
      +1

      It depends on the brand, I know Maleny dairies here in QLD pay farmers more for their milk than the big suppliers.

  • neil on 20/05/2016 - 16:04
    +10

    It's a somewhat complicated issue. This video from The Project explains it a bit (especially the accounting issues). Someone may need to confirm but I believe pretty much any milk + cheese other than the store brand (Coles/Woolworths) is what they want people to buy.

    EDIT: From the video at 1:14, buy from local producers:

    Bulla, Cafe Yum, Ski, A2 Milk, Liddels, Devondale, Western Star, Big M, Breaka, Pura Milk, Pauls, Anchor, Oak, Dairy Farmers, Jalna, Sungold, Tatura, Dare, Vaalia, Soleil, Cracker Barrel, Yoplait, Ice Break, Farmers Union, Bega, Perfecto Italiano,Rush, Mainland, Westacre, Burra Foods, Warrnambool Cheddars, Great Ocean Road, Milel

    • tomsco on 20/05/2016 - 16:40

      Big M

      I know someone that works for the co. that handles the supply chain software for Colesworths. They made a comment when the 2L milk got brought down to $4 everyday at Coles and how this would effect those further up the supply chain.

    • belongsinforums on 23/05/2016 - 17:54
      -7

      The Project. What a great, reliable, non-biased source of current affairs!

      • neil on 23/05/2016 - 18:28
        +4

        The right leaning (if The Project is left) Herald Sun says the same thing. They are saying Bulla, Farmers Union and Gippsland Dairy.

        We actually bought Gippsland Dairy milk this week. While I can't tell the difference in cereal, it's way better in the foam of a cappuccino. No idea why but it certainly gives another reason to avoid Coles/Woolworths milk.

        • neil on 23/05/2016 - 23:43

          @tomkun01:

          Most of the time with the Coles light milk, it froths. Occasionally I will get a bottle that doesn't. No idea why. The foam of the Gippsland Dairy Light Milk tastes almost as good as the full fat foam at cafes.

        • jayt on 24/05/2016 - 00:52
          +11

          @tomkun01:

          The project is simply catering to their target audience: teens who haven't yet discovered media bias. And I guess that's fine, as long as the teens grow out of the show when they come of age.

          To be honest, I find this statement quite condescending. It's as if you believe that teens are not able to be informed and are easily deceived by media or cannot think for themselves. I am in my mid 20's and although I don't watch The Project much, the segments that I have watched (re: NBN, negative gearing) have portrayed a very accurate picture of the present situation with facts which have been supported by industry experts. At least, those segments reports more truth than articles covering the same topics from the Murdoch press which publishes articles with an agenda or media bias.

          You're saying teens should grow out of this supposedly "left-leaning" show; I think that is the same as growing more ignorant to real issues. The Project does a good job at explaining complex situations in an easy to understand manner for the general public. Young people are probably more adept at understanding current issues because of the Internet and I think we are also very capable in making judgments for ourselves based on facts with the easy access that we do have to the Internet.

        • ceebee on 24/05/2016 - 01:49

          @neil: Pretty sure froth levels have something to do with fat content; my brother only buys whole milk, specifically glass bottle non-homogenized milk (it's v expensive), and it is very rich and fatty— often has a cream layer on top. It rarely froths, or froths just a little. I drink skim and it froths up all over the place, all the time. Sometimes when I drink hi-lo I notice it's hit and miss. I might be wrong, but my guess is occasionally you get a bottle that is perhaps a bit more fatty and so it doesn't hold the froth as well.

        • belongsinforums on 24/05/2016 - 08:03
          -6

          @jayt: I never said it was left. Why are you changing what I said? If anything, having a religious apologist as a main presenter makes it conservative

        • catbrain on 24/05/2016 - 11:21

          The foam is usually about what the cows are eating. It was always really noticeable in Canberra when dandelions were in season, milk would barely froth - cafes and customers were fully aware of it - and there was a noticeable change in flavour. Probably still the case if you buy Dairy Farmers milk in Canberra, because I think it's still processed at Fyshwick.

        • [Deactivated] on 25/05/2016 - 08:35
          +1

          @jayt: Upvote, cos I'm mid 20's too, and it's always the middle aged crew who are naively posting/sharing links and articles online that are quite obviously FOS. Also, many people from this age group tend to implicitly trust print media.

          "HaHA Sharon, you character! I'm reposting this just in case Steve and Bill really are giving away free iFads!"

        • [Deactivated] on 25/05/2016 - 08:56

          @neil: Maybe this explains. A consequence of the "milk wars" between big supermarkets is that milk producers can reduce costs by diluting fresh milk with up to 16 per cent permeate, a watery byproduct of milk processing.

          "Milks with added permeate tend to have less body, less sweetness and their micro foam collapses very quickly, affecting presentation," Stewart says.

          http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food/food-news/what-type-of-…

        • sd4f on 25/05/2016 - 10:47

          @jayt:

          The Project does a good job at explaining complex situations in an easy to understand manner for the general public.

          If anything is condescending, it's regurgitating information on the assumption that their audience is too feeble minded to understand it if they don't.

        • nikey2k27 on 26/05/2016 - 04:21

          i find good milk foam much better but that cream content.

  • Steptoe on 20/05/2016 - 16:27
    +32

    There also was this piece on The Checkout

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIOvRO8k7uI

    • giu on 23/05/2016 - 16:39

      Stop Reading Here - watch this. Buy the cheaper milk.

    • [Deactivated] on 23/05/2016 - 19:46

      Yes, I happy to have watched 'The Checkout' when it aired and thought well if it actually hurts WW or Coles then I'll change and buy the cheap stuff.

  • neoleo on 20/05/2016 - 16:51
    +2

    Maybe better if the farmers could establish joint venture as a company. EXPORT milk to other countries. For example, China is still has issues related with food safety, food hygiene. Government should help farmers in exporting process, make exhibitions in target market countries to increase awareness of the milk. Many people have positive perception on Australia dairy products.

    I am still poor and have a lot of debts. So, I can only afford to buy cheap milk.
    Anyone can help to free me from all of my debts …

    • neil on 20/05/2016 - 16:59
      +2

      Part of the problem is that China's demand for dairy has decreased which has resulted in the cost increases/price decreases as there is a bit of an oversupply of dairy products. Similar to other commodities we export.

      • dexx on 24/05/2016 - 12:50
        +3

        There is still a massive demand. Especially for powdered milk.
        Perhaps powdered milk manufacturers could tool up to produce baby formula.

    • trongy on 20/05/2016 - 23:59

      Last year 34% of Australia's milk production was exported.. Most of the exports will be powdered milk, butter and cheese.

      There's currently a global oversupply of milk which means that prices have dropped as explained in this article.

    • JIMB0 on 22/05/2016 - 10:52

      Fresh milk doesn't last long enough to go by sea, the only way is air freight which is rather expensive. I did read an article a while ago about a company that has just developed a proccess for fresh milk that will make it last long enough for sea shipping.

      • catbrain on 24/05/2016 - 11:23
        +1

        What about UHT?

        • JIMB0 on 25/05/2016 - 06:44

          The article I read gave the impression that exporting fresh milk was where the money was at. It didn't mention UHT.

    • serpserpserp on 23/05/2016 - 19:05

      Like they did with Sugar in this country? Look how that turned out for Queensland Sugar Limited. Sugar is going to be the next commodity in this country that takes a real bashing at the farm gate once the internationals start to market and export the sugar in house.

  • altomic on 20/05/2016 - 17:15
    +39

    I only can offer anecdotal input.

    My father in law is (was) a 3rd generation dairy farmer. He stopped about 9 years ago after milk prices for supplying milk to the milk company plummeted even further and there was a better pay off going into beef (plus a lot less work). Dairy Companies were primarily to blame. when milk was $2 a litre they were paying dairy farmers around 12cents a litre. dairy companies such as devondale, kiewa, wesfarmers, etc slowly pushed many dairy farmers out of producing as it wasn't economical, despite the dairy companies yielding increasingly high profits. But then that is business. The dairy companies are privately owned and have to make profits for the shareholders.

    The number of dairy farmers around his area is a 1/3 of that 10 years ago. certainly part of that is an ageing population of farmers, but also it wasn't attractive for younger farmers to get into dairy.

    I used to milk when ever I was staying on the farm and loved it. milking 120 cows twice a day in a 1950's walk through dairy was very soothing. The view out from the dairy was extremely beautiful as well (towards Victorias snowy mountains). Anyway, cows are cool. they just want to eat grass and hang out. On an amusing note, my father in law milked from when he was 12 until 63ish- he was lactose intolerant and drank soy milk.

    • mskeggs on 20/05/2016 - 18:11
      +15

      It is sad that modern economics and the need for efficiency, growth and greed killed personal farming. My understanding is there is no way for a herd smaller than 300+ to be economic these days.
      But efficiency, growth and greed have killed many, many jobs and industries. If we continue to prioritise these over non-economic things we will continue to get results like impoverished farmers. (and high unemployment and closing car factories and…and…and)

      • trongy on 21/05/2016 - 00:07
        +1

        Robotic milking machines like the one in this video have a high capital cost, but save on labour cost. Thus the economics favour larger herds.

        • mskeggs on 21/05/2016 - 00:21
          +42

          Yeah, I know why. But reading altomics' comment reminded me how many considerations there were besides the economic costs.
          I am fine with cheap milk, but I am also good with more expensive milk that supports high quality, humane dairy farmers, and I am similarly in favour of higher taxes and prices that lead to higher quality and better sustainability.
          I'd like to see a country where workplaces are not miserable fights between cost cutters and unions, and businesses aren't looking to put one over on the customer, and government went back to calling us citizens instead of consumers.

        • Ayanami on 21/05/2016 - 09:18
          +1

          @mskeggs:

          I love this sentiment.

        • Conka on 22/05/2016 - 13:19
          +2

          @mskeggs: Right on. Sounds like you need a job from July 2!

          I'd vote for you.

        • freakatronic on 23/05/2016 - 08:27
          +4

          @mskeggs: I agree. Eternal growth is a destructive lie, not to mention impossible. Pursuing eternal growth reduces us from citizens to consumers.

        • compound on 23/05/2016 - 09:24
          +1

          @mskeggs: We can blame the government or we can blame ourselves for letting such a travesty be in charge of our society. Most of these politicians you wouldn't trust if it was in a life or death situation so why are we letting these sellouts run this country is beyond me.

          The other part is that we're letting money control our society instead of our values - we're heading down the path of China flavoured economics and it's a race to a bottom with this land and the people in it going down the drain.

        • mskeggs on 23/05/2016 - 11:00
          +5

          @compound:
          I agree, but it is insidious.
          My personal choices are often at odds with my values, because I respond to marketing or momentary avarice. It is hard to always make the right choice, so I like things like government bans on prescription medicine advertising, rules on investments and strong consumer rights (to pick just a few) that help protect me from my own poor choices.
          So I think it is reasonable to ask the government to take a strong line on, for example, making it hard to trade away time off for increased pay or watering down workplace entitlements, because there is a natural inclination to value dollars which are precise and exact more highly than an amorphous concept like 'work life balance".
          Sadly, few of our politicians seem up to the constant diligence needed to counter the relentless attempts of the business council or IPA or some other dollars focused group's to boil everything down to dollars.

        • compound on 23/05/2016 - 12:33
          +1

          @mskeggs: We find it hard to make choices because everything that is for sale is being twisted and the principles/values of it hijacked by the end result of profit margins to keep the shareholders happy. It scares me how we use to laugh at the USA for being absurd with legalities, social and stupidity however we're not far off. I think we should start changing the system to not reward politicians money so as not to attract those who are merely in it for their own gains.

        • susmind on 24/05/2016 - 00:19
          -1

          @compound: Nothing new to see here, it's always been this way since might equals right from year dot.
          The only reason the plebs had it a bit cruisy since the Second World War was the ruling class fear of the seductive call of Russian communism to historically normal oppressed plebs.

          Once communism was beat in the late 1980s then it was time for the lower classes to be treated more like the historial average.

          Do you think the rich of Greece have any problem with the austerity imposed on Greece ?

        • pebee47 on 27/05/2016 - 12:03

          @susmind: The rich in Greece are probably bemoaning the idea their next Ferrari or Maser' will cost a bit more

      • serpserpserp on 23/05/2016 - 19:13

        I'm not sure on this, I think the problem is scale. Once you want to build scale into a farming business you need reliability that someone is going to buy the majority of your output. So Supermarkets that vertically integrate to the farm gate come in and say "I'll buy ALL of your stuff if the quality is up to scratch, but for that certainty I am going to buy it at a discount" so then the farmers get on board, happy with things when they start out, build more scale on their farms, until one day the Supermarket can get it cheaper somewhere else, then these huge farms have nowhere to go with all this stock, prices collapse because they just dump it into any market, then you have a problem.

        But with 300 head of cattle? If you are using the output into something niche you can probably get by. It is just a lot of effort to market into different segments, buyers etc. Not nearly as easy as waiting for the Coles truck to turn up every week and take all your product at a discount. BUT once you have built that network you can probably make a living out of it. You just won't be making a motza.

      • dexx on 24/05/2016 - 12:52

        welcome to the Hive!

      • mskeggs on 26/05/2016 - 15:33

        Probably too late to inject facts into this discussion, but here is a page showing what farmers get paid for milk. About 40-50c a liter has been the norm.
        http://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/Markets-and-statistics/Pric…

    • paaj on 20/05/2016 - 18:13
      +1

      that's a genuinely cool story :)
      Kinda sad the newer gen don't really want to get into farming.

      • AlienC on 29/05/2016 - 06:39

        I do want to it's just hard work.

    • kryptoz on 20/05/2016 - 21:55

      Quite a common story for the dairy agribusiness, it is largely a global problem, at least in all first-world countries. The prognosis is pretty grim for most forms of agriculture, it is expanding as multinationals swallow more and more smaller operations. The boutique businesses with more unique produce (think Quinoa, Freekeh, Amaranth, Camargue, Atemoya, Chayote, Jamuticaba, Dulse) are the only ones that are experiencing consistent growth, with of course many risks.
      Ultimately though agriculture, as with many other industries, will be increasingly automated, with ever-diminishing profit margins and increasing capital investment and regulation costs — fewer and fewer people will be employed and shareheld corporations may be only ones left standing.

    • BuyoTheCat on 24/05/2016 - 15:49

      I tried milking cow once. It was…….hard work. kind of fun but definitely not as easy as it looks….and also rather smelly.

  • Diji1 on 20/05/2016 - 17:38
    +16

    I'll just say it: I'm not going to start buying non-Coles/Woolworths branded milk because of the price.

    Is this one of those supposed "grassroots campaigns" that originates with large wealthy backers who stand to gain a lot of money if they can cause you to spend more money on milk products rather than less money which goes to some other very wealthy people instead?

    • OYC on 23/05/2016 - 11:41
      +4

      Anybody else getting a headache trying to get their head around this double negative? Had to reread it 3 times.

      • catbrain on 24/05/2016 - 11:27

        I think a comma would've helped: "I'm not going to start buying non-Coles/Woolworths branded milk, because of the price."

  • mskeggs on 20/05/2016 - 17:54
    +25

    Most dairy groups in Australia used to be farmer owned co-operatives. I think Norco is the only sizeable one left.
    One by one they each sold out to huge international conglomerates when offered big wads of cash. 100 yro Dairy Farmers only sold out in 2007, so it isn't even as if this is ancient history.
    The idea we should now feel sorry for these people when they chose their own fate is laughable.

    If farmers want better prices, they should set up a rival to the big companies.

    • BigTed on 20/05/2016 - 18:05
      +11

      IMHO you've got it absolutely right mskeggs.
      I just read this story today: https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/true-stories/16y…
      If this story is true, dairy farmers are getting about 14c per litre of milk they produce.
      I would happily pay them ten times that amount if they can work out how to get it from their farms to my house.
      The fact that they have not done so (or allowed a handful of predatory companies to dominate the processing and bottling field) is unfortunate, but no reason for me to pay more than I have to for my milk.
      Farmers co-ops for processing and bottling used to be common-place. Why can't they do it again? It'd be a win-win as most processors nowadays are foreign owned, and cutting out the middle man can save us both money.

    • Elwes on 20/05/2016 - 19:00
      +10

      Devondale is still a co-op. It's available at most Coles and some Woolies.

  • Adz81 on 20/05/2016 - 18:13
    +10

    I pay about $2.60/L for milk… I buy from a South Australian owned dairy that farms ethically and I know that their animals (and suppliers) are treated well and paid accordingly. I will never buy $1/L milk…

    • [Deactivated] on 20/05/2016 - 19:59
      +6

      Thanks. Good to know.

    • [Deactivated] on 22/05/2016 - 22:31
      +15

      The aftermath of this campaign will be people like this. Milk hipsters

      • belongsinforums on 23/05/2016 - 20:55
        +3

        Aren't they just egg hipsters that have branched out into milk?

        • AlienC on 29/05/2016 - 06:42

          Oh dear god we are I remember being an egg hipster in like 6th grade then I grew up and forgot about the whole caged vs free range debate… also diabetes I mean vegetarianism

    • afoveht on 23/05/2016 - 20:53

      Do they remove the calves from their mothers? Do they kill the calves? Do they forcefully inseminate the cows? Do they kill the cows after about 4 pregnancies? Do the cows ever get to enjoy the freedom of being with their child? Or with a bull?

      • duchy on 24/05/2016 - 19:14

        Yes. Yes they do. I feel no remorse for dairy farmers.

      • Adz81 on 27/05/2016 - 12:50

        How do you ensure the well being of your cows and what happens with the bobby calfs?

        The welfare of our animals has always been very important for us and still is. We are not using our farming animals as agribusiness tools; we are treating them as partners in a healthy food chain - with respect and a caring attitude. We are proud that we have a very animal friendly approach to our dairy herd. Caring for mother and newborn calf, is vitally important for us, regardless of female or male. Therefore we avoid stressed cows (apart from the humanitarian reason, stress hormones show up in milk and influence the quality). We do endeavour to keep the bobby calves with their mothers.
        When a calf is born, it is important it stays with its mother. The first milk after calving is called colostrum and bears all the nutritional value that a calf needs for a good start in life. It has natural occurring antibiotics that prevents disease in the early stages of life and later. When the calves drink directly from the mother’s udder, the milk is exactly the right temperature, it is what we call, full of life energy, it is full of minerals and vitamins and it is very rich and high in protein. The calves stay very healthy; they do not get digestive problems. It’s just right for every new born calf. Our yards and small paddocks are set up for calves and mother cows, where calves stay with mother cows until they stop feeding. That can take until 2 to 3 months. We also believe that it is important the bull is with his herd, artificial insemination is no option for us. To keep all calves with their mothers is not only important for the calves but also for the mother cows which otherwise could become stressed if they lose their calves.
        With cows and calves it is the same as with humans, some are more attached to each other than others and we take this in consideration. After we keep them with a mother cow for about a week, most of our bobby calves are adopted and raised by an adoptive mother cow. We are very fortunate that we live in an area, where there are many small farms with hobby farmers and families wanting Bobby calves to keep their grass down. There are also smaller beef cattle farmers that on a regular basis need young calves to put on to mother cows, which lost their own calf at birth or early life. We give them bobby calves. Many beef cows produce too much milk for their own new born, so they are happy to adopt a bobby calf from our herd.
        Often we raise calves ourselves to grow to about a year for meat that is sold to customers who appreciate meat from a naturally raised, happy animal, as we in our family are vegetarians. Occasionally there is demand for organic vealers, aged about 3 to 4 months and then we would sell our own vealers, if we have some. We would organise transport to an abattoir that we know will not keep the vealers overnight and will humanly euthanize them. All female calves are raised by mother cows in our herd and once they are ready to graze on paddocks, after about 3 months, they will be raised on our farm.

    • pebee47 on 27/05/2016 - 12:09

      How much do they pay their animals? Is their pay covered by an award? What about weekend milk; do the dairies get to add 25-50% more water, or do the cows have to produce creamier milk?

    • AlienC on 29/05/2016 - 06:44

      So this is the new I'm a vegan thingamabob.

  • Janko on 20/05/2016 - 19:58
    +3

    I happily paid $8 for 2L before it became too hard to find such illegal milk.

  • Janko on 20/05/2016 - 20:03
    +1

    Noticed in Woolies last night heaps of Woolies milk, hardly anything else but all the speciality milks.

    Even though Woolies bait 'n switch with their limited stocks of half price specials that run out each day at lunch, surely they make more money on non-Woolies milk. Or are they simply stocking less non-Woolies milk?

    • Brendoo on 21/05/2016 - 14:54
      +1

      my woolies is like that every day. I just assumed it's poor stock control, not ordering enough stock of what the consumer wants.

    • Rusty4 on 23/05/2016 - 09:32

      Supermarkets always make more money on home brands

      • zhenjie on 24/05/2016 - 21:38

        The exception is their home brand Milk.

    • belongsinforums on 23/05/2016 - 20:57

      Profit is usually higher on store brands. I think the exception atm is el cheapo bread, because of the price war.

  • StewBalls on 20/05/2016 - 21:11
    +7

    Sure…if supermarkets stock some nice, creamy non-homogenised milk like some country centres do, I'll happily pay more for that; but for the same watered down crap we get now, not a hope in hell! ;)

    I genuinely feel sorry for a lot of young people now, they've never experienced true full cream milk, including the rush to get to it before the rest of the family so you can swipe the cream floating on top!

    • kryptoz on 20/05/2016 - 22:05
      +2

      Agreed 100%. We mainly buy Farmer's Own or Great Ocean Road, because they have products with a little of the creamy texture at the top. It doesn't compare to the milk in glass pint bottles with a tinfoil lid I had as a kid, but it's far more palatable and arguably healthier
      http://time.com/3734033/whole-milk-dairy-fat/ than the watery 'lite' piss that passes for most milk today.

      • StewBalls on 21/05/2016 - 09:18
        +4

        If you ever get up towards Tamworth NSW, try the 'Peel Valley' branded local milk…it is simply awesome, they even have a "Gold Top" extra creamy variant that must surely be about 25% pure cream! :D

      • chriskq on 23/05/2016 - 13:36

        cream and arguably healthier are a bit of a oxymoron don't you think?

        • duchy on 24/05/2016 - 19:15
          +1

          Nope. Cream helps to digest. And fat is a good source of energy.

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