Public consultation on the Dairy Industry Code is closed.
We asked for your feedback. This is what you told us.
How you had your say
We sought feedback from people about the Dairy Industry Code of Conduct.
We invited feedback from people across the dairy industry.
This included:
· Dairy farmers
· Dairy processors
· Industry representative bodies
· Business owners
· Government
You gave feedback through:
· an online survey
· written submissions.
Who engaged
12 valid submissions were received. We have published 10 submissions, as 2 participants did not give permission for their submissions to be published.
Survey
A mix of individuals and organisations responded through our survey, with 50% of respondents being dairy farmers. There were respondents from multiple states including Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia.
What you said
Many of the submissions indicated the importance of security for farmers when they sign an MSA, similarly, having flexibility to review options and ensure they are making the best decision was noted in some submissions as important. Many of the submissions also highlighted the importance of giving processors the ability to adjust the price to reflect significant changes in the market; this was flagged as critical for the sustainability of businesses. This would have to be done transparently however, to ensure there is no disadvantage to the farmers.
Most common issues you raised:
· Lack of pricing flexibility in multi-year MSAs
· Disproportionate benefits to farmers with non-exclusive MSAs
· Issues of allowing verbal MSAs
· Confusion caused by necessity to publish superseded versions of MSAs
What happens next
We will review and consider your feedback. We will use it to inform the second review of the Dairy Industry Code of Conduct.
We will finalise the second review of the Code of Conduct by the end of 2026.