Our ‘list’ fighting for dairy farmers

A Geelong man’s website is helping consumers support Australian dairy farmers in their fight against the big supermarket chains’ discounted milk.
Patrick O’Callaghan has added The Milk List resource at localfoodloop.com to identify the products of dairies that are struggling to compete against supermarket-brand prices as low as $1 a litre – less than most bottled water.
Recent cuts to prices paid for farmers’ milk has sent many to the wall amid warnings it could eventually leave Australia dependent on imported dairy products.
Public uproar has led to consumers seeking out independent products but supermarkets have responded, packing fridges with their own discounted products.
The dominance of supermarket-brand milk in local stores has angered consumers who have expressed their outrage with images and comments on social media.
But Mr O’Callaghan’s list has grown to hundreds of products, identifying where they are available and including a ‘crowd consensus’ field for consumers to rate each product.
The list allows visitors to add their own “local milk knowledge” including the brand and its points of sale.
Some of the listed brands include Sungold, Moriac Farmstead Dairy, Aussie Farmers Direct and Schulz Organic Farms.
The list has gone national but contains numerous sites around the Geelong region where consumers can buy independent-brand milk which costs more but helps support Australian dairy farmers.
Mr O’Callaghan said his list was all about helping to save Australian farming jobs.
“We put together the Milk List as an opportunity for people to find those places and if they want to spend their money in a better way this allowed them to do that,” he told ABC radio.
“Because they’re the things … that keep regional communities alive.
“They’re the things that employ people and they can only continue to exist if they’re profitable and that can only happen if people buy products.”