Oh boy, my latest pet topic.
Firstly the following relatives were dairy farmers in Tassy- grandfather, uncle and 5 cousins.
Some farmers over many years have done general farming a disservice. Slogans like "you don't eat without farmers" and the latest "no farmer,no food, no future". I see this as arrogant.
Without the city brain surgeon grandma wouldn't have got her tumour removed, city cleaners....disease would spread, soldiers...our country wouldn't be defended, tyre makers...trucks couldn't be driven....no milk to market. And so on.
My point on that is clear, we are all in this together. We are all Australian. We all need each other. The them and us attitude has to...go.
One young lady in SW Vic is at the forefront of this milkers fight. She claims she works 12 hour days. She says that one reason why dairy farmers should be a protected species is that they are often 4th generation on the land. It seems more than likely she has inherited her farm. At 20 yo she's doing better than most her age.
If a shop owner ,say a haberdashery or shoe shop was 4th generation would the public rally to save them? They have to eat as well.
In 1994 many jobs at Puckapunyal were privatised. 410 jobs in all. I got one in security. There was not one farmer or farmers partner among them.
In 2004 my small business had a downturn. I returned to Puckapunyal for 8 months 12 hour shift work to keep it afloat. Not doing this and staying on the land is a choice.
My point here is that this happens all the time and to " close the gates" might be necessary.
On the other hand there is a strong case for supporting the "buy branded milk" plea. Brand less milk is hurting them but have they, the farmers not diversified enough, had all their eggs in one sinking basket over many years? My family know the dairy farmers best years in the 1960's were over. It never recovered.
We also need to educate the farming communities to watch out for those with depressed thoughts/mood. No different to a city car labourer losing his/her job. The feeling of hopelessness is the same.
So dairy farmers need our help and we should support them as much as we can in every way. But we should do this for everyone.....even the local butcher, the hardware and that haberdasherer.
Tony WK
