AUSTRALIA: Protest rallies at Woolworth's display dairy industry anger

AUSTRALIA: Protest rallies at Woolworth’s display dairy industry anger

Following a recent series of cuts in the price of milk by Woolworth's , anxious dairy farmers have tagged the supermarket chain as the venue for nationwide demonstrations. The Australian Milk Producer's Association has announced its plans to coordinate the protest rallies on 10 October, in response to the fact that many dairy farmers are now threatened with bankruptcy. John Cartwright, federal president of the association, argues that since the deregulation of the industry, price cuts by retailers have meant that many dairy farmers are now earning less than their production costs. Prices at wholesale have dropped from an average of $A0.56 to $A0.30 per litre.

October 9, 2000

Following a recent series of cuts in the price of milk by Woolworth’s, anxious dairy farmers have tagged the supermarket chain as the venue for nationwide demonstrations. The Australian Milk Producer’s Association has announced its plans to coordinate the protest rallies on 10 October, in response to the fact that many dairy farmers are now threatened with bankruptcy.

John Cartwright, federal president of the association, argues that since the deregulation of the industry, price cuts by retailers have meant that many dairy farmers are now earning less than their production costs. Prices at wholesale have dropped from an average of $A0.56 to $A0.30 per litre.