Farmers deserve greater chance
DAIRY farmers need more face to face meetings during the second round of consultation for the Mandatory Code of Conduct for the dairy industry, according to the dairy farmers’ peak group.
Farmers wishing to have a say in person about the Mandatory Code of Conduct consultation process will have to travel to Warragul, during the second round of the consultation process run by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources.
The process will include just three forums in Victoria.
Fortunately one of those sessions is in Warragul, although it’s the only session for Gippsland, despite the large region being one of the state’s most productive dairy areas.
Paul Mumford, United Dairyfarmers of Victoria president, said, “We believe there are still regions of Victoria that are not sufficiently serviced by the number of face to face consultations.
“Considering Victoria is home to 68 percent of Australia’s dairy farms, consultation forums need to reflect the number of farmers in the state.
“Farmers need access to consultation forums and must then take these opportunities to contribute to the development of the mandatory code if it is to genuinely reflect the needs of farmers.”
The Warragul session will be held at the Warragul Reception and Conference Centre on Tuesday, January 29 from 10.30am to 1.30pm.
The other sessions will be held in Echuca and Warrnambool.
In round two of consultation, farmers can provide feedback on a draft Mandatory Code of Conduct and draft regulation impact statement, also released on the Department of Agriculture’s ‘Have Your Say’ webpage (https://haveyoursay.agriculture.gov.au/dairy-code-conduct).
Mr Mumford, who farms at Won Wron, near Yarram, said, “If introduced, a mandatory code will impact every single Australian dairy farmer. It is critical that dairy farmers are given sufficient opportunity to learn about what is proposed and have their feedback heard.
“I encourage every dairy farmer to make the time to attend these forums. If you are not able to attend, you can still have your say online before round two closes on February 15.”
For more information about the proposed Mandatory Code of Conduct and the consultation process, farmers can contact the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources on 1300 044 940 or email [email protected]
The code will address issues in the relationship between dairy farmers and processors.
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Posted by brad on Jan 23 2019. Filed under Rural News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
