{"id":220653,"date":"2018-10-18T18:05:40","date_gmt":"2018-10-18T08:05:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=220653"},"modified":"2020-09-23T13:57:49","modified_gmt":"2020-09-23T03:57:49","slug":"lnp-calls-for-milk-royal-commission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2018\/10\/18\/lnp-calls-for-milk-royal-commission\/","title":{"rendered":"LNP Calls For Milk Royal Commission"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Tony<\/a>
Member for Gympie Tony Perrett<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

October 18, 2018<\/strong><\/p>\n

The LNP’s attack on major supermarkets has been ramped up with Shadow Agriculture Minister\u00a0Tony Perrett suggesting it was time for the “bastards to pay”.<\/p>\n

Mr Perrett called for a Royal Commission into how the supermarket giants were milking the system and squeezing Queensland dairy farmers.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s about time Queenslanders got answers as to why our major supermarkets in Coles, Woolworths and Aldi have been allowed to get away scot-free destroying our local dairy industry,” Mr Perrett said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we have seen happen to Queensland\u2019s dairy industry is a national disgrace and it\u2019s time to find out who is responsible,” Mr Perrett said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time for these supermarket bastards to come out from behind their glossy spin doctors and face the tough questions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe public and our farmers deserve answers on how the race for corporate profits through the $1 per litre milk price has forced out 75 per cent of Queensland\u2019s dairy farmers in the last 18 years – from more than 1500 to just 386 dairy farms in the State.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIn Queensland, a dairy farmer is leaving the industry approximately every 5-7 days due to the behaviour of the supermarkets.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s be very clear, our dairy farmers are not shutting down because of a drop in demand – Queenslanders drink 84 litres of fresh white milk per person per year – they are closing because they are getting as much for their milk now as they were in 1992.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe saw the Queensland Dairyfarmers\u2019 Organisation (QDO) lead a proactive campaign for a very reasonable 10c per litre drought milk levy, but all the supermarkets served up in reply to public pressure were half-baked measures to plug their own already unfairly priced home-brand products.<\/p>\n

\u201cBuying supermarket private label milk, even packaged with the drought levy, is worth less to dairy farmers than branded milk.<\/p>\n

\u201cClearly public and political pressure are not enough.<\/p>\n

“Year after year the supermarkets have not budged, but that time is now over.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Queensland Liberal National Party completely support a Royal Commission into the major supermarkets and finally getting answers from those responsible for this mess.\u201d<\/p>\n