Australia: ACCC dairy inquiry to hold public forums

Struggling dairy farmers will have a chance to vent their concerns in public after the consumer and competition watchdog invited them to series of forums on the industry.

The public meetings are part of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s inquiry into the dairy industry’s structure and behaviour, which has been running since November.

The ACCC is examining competition among milk processors, processors’ contracts with farmers, global supply markets and the profitability of dairy farms.

“We are interested in hearing from farmers on a range of topics, including options for selling milk in different regions, the transparency of how farm gate milk prices are calculated, and contracting practices in the industry,” ACCC commissioner Mick Keogh said on Tuesday.

“We are attending major dairy production regions in each state.”

The first forum will be held at Toowoomba in Queensland on February 6, with meetings in NSW, Victoria, Western Australia and, South Australia to follow before a final meeting at Burnie in Tasmania on March 22.

Full Content: SBS News

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