Walcha Dairy owner Peter Notman said it was up to Australian consumers to help reinflate the dairy market.

“We can talk about coal and energy but at the end of the day we are the first generation of Australians who haven’t had to battle it out for food because our farmers are battling for us,” Mr Notman said. 

“This industry will stand for the next 100 years because I’ve never found an individual who doesn’t want a meal three times a day, but it needs support.”

The dairy industry crisis erupted earlier this month because of a price devaluation of the cost of milk, forcing farmers to sell the product below the cost of production. 

“A consumer can help by buying brands that are actually owned by Australian dairy farmers,” Mr Notman said.

 “These supermarket conglomerates have managed to lower the value of agricultural products to the point where this product is actually cheaper in this country than the world’s largest exporting dairy region in New Zealand.” The dairy owner said federal action was needed to protect Australian dairy farmers during this crisis. 

“The price of our rural product will go down in July but how much I am unsure at the moment,” Mr Notman said. 

 “It could have quite a large effect on the fabric of NSW communities and how these dairy farmers see their future.”

Mr Notman met with Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce as well as Dairy Connect’s farmer group chairman Graham Forbes and Dairy Connect’s chief executive Shaughn Morgan on Tuesday to lobby for the industry.  

Mr Joyce said calling for a sustainable price was one of the topics discussed at the meeting and “giving strong consideration to short and medium term actions” that could be pursued.

“All of the parties impacted by the challenges facing the industry are calling for a united approach,” he said.

“We’ll be concentrating on having a strong conversation with the industry to make sure we get this right.”