Stop Picking on Farmers Over Milk, Focus on the
Supermarkets
Blaming farmers for the price
of milk is wrong when supermarkets are creaming profits,
says New Zealand First Primary Industries Spokesperson
Richard Prosser.
“It is concerning that farmers
are under attack over the milk price,” he says.
“We think it is insulting to farmers to have fresh
milk compared with Coca-Cola. Milk is a food taking skill to
produce, whereas Coke is just carbonated water packed with
sugar,” says Mr Prosser.
“Our farmers are
definitely not creaming it given their forecast payout is
only about 38 cents a litre. In a two-litre bottle of milk
that leaves well over $2 for processing and retail costs and
margins - three times what the farmer gets paid for
producing milk.
“Aside from an inquiry into the
supermarket duopoly, New Zealand First’s solution is to
remove GST off basic food items, which would reduce a
supermarket brand of two litres of milk to $2.77; a saving
of 42 cents,” says Mr
Prosser.
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