Well considering most diary writers have migrated to internet blogging, its gonna be tough for the diary industry to win them back. Maybe target the younger audience and update to a "diary of the future" with a pen/stylus and a pad.
I personally buy Devondale, and I would be very keen to hear from anyone in the know whether this is the best possible choice in terms of supporting the dairy farmers in this country (my top priority), and who owns that company (my second priority is to support locally owned businesses)? A second thought has occurred to me whilst reading this thread. We have here on these forums many folk knowledgeable about various industries, and the practices followed in those industries. I am sure much information can be shared by these knowledgeable folks about good and not so good brands, what businesses are owned by whom etc. I, for one, would be keen to be educated about these things, and be in a more informed position when doing my shopping - to me, I don't really care that much whether my milk (for example) costs me $2 a litre or $2.90 - in my humble opinion, food in general is very cheap, possibly too cheap in some cases, and a few extra shekels spent here and there supporting local business and industry is a worthwhile investment.
@Midnight Mad, I will not hijack a thread, but I am personally involved in the production of organic table produce and free-range beef and lamb so can you that our costs are high and margins are thin to non-existent. iceblue could give you the facts regarding the dairy industry.
Diary farmers are hard working tough buggers. Used to live in the Western Districts Camperdown and I can still remember not even a gangrenous foot stopping the local farmer from rushing home to milk the cows. What is the current recommendation for Melbourne folks for the "best milk" to buy in terms of quality as well as being farmer survival friendly. Our kids go through two 3L Coles milk a week and I want to stop supporting the big guys. I don't drink much milk personally but I love good butter. My current favourite is the good stuff from Myrtleford.http://www.thebutterfactory.com.au/ Almost as good as the French stuff.
Digoxin anything not Generic. While fonterra is offshore company, the pauls brand is still milk from Aussie farmers. For dairy products Devondale.
My plan to make the corporate scabs pay more - wont work. My plan is stop supply. Within a few days supermarket shelves would be empty. My plan would also require the farmers to stand up for themselves, being so many have huge debts slaving away to the banks, most wont have the balls. They cant afford not to have the Milk money coming in. So CONTROL is now in the hands of filthy bankers, corporate scabs and puppet government. Until control is taken back by farmers the same game will be played until there is no industry left.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQThc1xPDeI[/youtube] Was posted in the members section but will post it here as well, latest ad from Devondale.
Deregulation is the answer, but it doesn't stop with the farmers, that is just the begging, the entire supply chain needs to be deregulated all the way to the consumer. Every aspect of the supply chain would require deregulation as Milk is just the first of many many consumer staples/products that we are seeing effected by the move to Fascism. The two major Supermarket chains in Australia have been given a free pass by the Government Regulators on price fixing as long as in return they assist the Government with their CPI lie, by artificially suppressing the price of certain (basket goods) like bread and milk they assist the Government suppress the inflation figures and prop up the GDP. They could sell Milk/Bread at loss if they want because they have a Duopoly on almost all other products so can more than cover the difference. We need free-market competition, the Government Regulators are the driving force to Fascism with their selective policies and back room deals. Imagine if we did away with the Regulators all together, small shops would appear everywhere as the public rushes back into the owner/operator type supply chains opening the demand for localised farming and agriculture. With the absence of excessive and disproportionate compliance costs these new establishing shops would return in numbers and be able to offer even more competitive pricing on fresh goods than the current corrupted Duopoly. Sometimes the only way to fix something is to pull it apart first, this issue does not need a band-aid solution.
We have a dairy farmer in my council area (scenic rim council). His family has been on the land for generations, he did not want to be the one that ended the family tradition. He converted the dairy to robotic milking, reducing his labour cost. The big guys were screwing him on price so now he markets his own, I think he has 220 cows. The best part it still has the cream on top and comes in glass bottles too. It's sold as "Scenic rim 4 real milk" Sells for $2.70 litre in glass cheaper in plastic but who wants that. He can't keep up with the demand, always sells out first. I don't drink much milk that is not in coffee and this milk froths great. Very happy to pay more to support him and his family. And looks like others will too. The big two screw all primary producers. We grow avocardoes, well used to, have not picked them for three years. They only want B grade fruit of a set size, pay next too nothing for sizes outside this range and the kicker if they don't get it there way they import from New Zealand. Refuse to go into Coles and woolworths it's the only way it's going to change.
Many here won't like to hear this. But the plain and simple truth is that "Dairy is nature's perfect food -- but only if you're a calf". http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/dairy-free-dairy-6-reason_b_558876.html Anyone advocating we should support the dairy industry might as well be advocating gov funding for Mc Donalds or some other junk food.
The 75% (or whatever the number is) of lactose intolerant adults should not consume dairy. Why should they if their bodies don't produce lactase? It's dumb. (It's like coeliac's should avoid gliadins.) Simple fact: Lactose tolerance evolved and became so prevalent in north-central Europe (plus a few other places) around 5-7,000 years ago because it gave a survival advantage. To dismiss it's benefits for people with the correct genes would seem ludicrous.
Its not the benefits. It's about what happens when governments control an industry and there is no competition. Any industry. If we stop drinking milk it will be bread next. Oh wait that has the same issues. And so on. And cheese tastes good which is enough of a benefit for me!
Ummm, generations and generations of people not dying in order for the alleles to become prevalent. I'm not saying it's some super food or anything that means you avoid standard balanced diets, but that many of our bodies evolved naturally with it.
an industry is for the gang, government issued a license to allow you to operate. govt: you a farmer, need us to give you a permit, in harassing your tagged cows nipples. :lol: the milk is NOT clean, so we permit you to boil it to 300 C we government make you to advertised, for IRON rich drink only, since nothing much is left from the original raw clean milk that we force you to sell in the cartons after boiling them. boy: this is my cow, and i do as i please, government can please stop spying me.
Not dying is a benefit? The only animal that should consume cows milk is a calf. Even then they drink it for only the first few months. Suggesting humans evolved with it is flat out wrong.
You're seriously asking whether not dying is a benefit? WTF? Given the plain evidence of the existence and prevalence of the dairy industry and the associated genetic mutation necessary for it to becomes prevalent then suggesting certain human societies did not evolve and benefit from it is flat out wrong. What barrow are you trying to push?
