Consumers are showing empathy for dairy farmers across the country by buying more expensive brand milk and leaving the cheap house brands on the shelf.
The new trend comes after it was revealed earlier this week that dairy farmers were facing huge financial hardship.
Consumers from regional areas and cities alike have been quick to do their bit to help out farmers, showing their support for more expensive brands.
Industry giants Fonterra and Murray Goulburn announced three weeks ago they would be slashing the raw milk price paid to farmers by up to 10 per cent.
In many cases farmers will have to repay hundreds of thousands of dollars because their milk did not sell at the same high price it was bought by processors.
Earlier this week The Project did a segment on the milk crisis, with Waleed Aly explaining ‘this means farmers will be paid $0.37 per litre of milk when it actually costs them $0.38 to produce it.’
Retail expert, Dr Gary Mortimer, from Queensland University of Technology says supermarket wars aren’t helping the dairy farmers.
‘Shoppers have consistently and routinely been grabbing the cheap milk since January 2011 when the supermarket ‘milk wars’ first began,’ Dr Mortimer said.
But since consumers have been made aware of the exploitation of Australian dairy farmers, many have made a conscious effort to do the right thing and fork out an extra dollar for a more ethical company.
Dr Mortimer says social media is helping.
‘We feel good about using social media to let other know we “didn’t buy the cheap milk and therefore supported dairy farmers”‘.
‘This, in turn, encouraged our friends and family to emulate our behaviour and to tell everyone and so the movement grows,’ he said.
Coles was quick to react to the new phenomenon.
The supermarket announced on Tuesday it would introduce a new, more expensive, product to stores in August, with an extra 20 cents per litre sold to go towards a ‘fighting’ fund for the struggling dairy industry.
It will continue to sell its two litre cartons for $2, leaving the choice up to customers whether or not to buy from the more expensive range.
Many dairy farmers have come forward to share their stories of hardship brought about by low milk prices.
16-year-old Chloe Scott spoke of her admiration for her father earlier this week and pleaded for Agricultural Minister Barnaby Joyce to intervene.
After 21 years the Scott dairy farm business in rural Victoria is on the brink of collapse under the weight of increasing debts from its milk payment contract with co-operative Fonterra.
Chloe Scott and her mother Melissa have been forced to move out of the family’s Boorcan home, leaving her father Brendan to work the property alone and deal with mounting costs.
Earlier this month, in the wake of a global price crash, both Fonterra and industry giant Murray Goulburn announced they would be slashing the raw milk price paid to farmers by up to 10 per cent.
In many cases farmers will have to repay hundreds of thousands of dollars because their milk did not sell at the same high price it was bought by processors.