Richard Prosser MP
Spokesperson for Primary Industries
27 SEPTEMBER 2016

Supermarkets & Government to Blame for Milk Prices, Not Farmers

New Zealand First says it is wrong for people to blame dairy farmers for the price of milk in supermarkets when it is the supermarket chains and the government who are milking the profits.

“While Fonterra has confirmed an increase in the milk payout, that doesn’t mean farmers are making the profit – quite the contrary,” says Primary Industries Spokesperson Richard Prosser.

“New Zealand First understands the frustration when commentators compare the price of milk in New Zealand with that of Britain, showing that New Zealanders can pay three times as much.

“Consumers might pay $2.19 for one litre of milk in New Zealand while in Britain’s Tesco supermarket chain it might be only 79 cents a litre.

“However, the milk payout forecast price means farmers will only receive 44c per litre (up from the current 33c) and not for another year.

“Britain is a different market to New Zealand. There are tens of millions of consumers and farming is still subsidised by the government.

“New Zealand’s two supermarket chains should drop their prices, but not by making the cuts at the producers’ end.

“The government could do their bit too, by removing GST from milk. That at least will drop the price by 15%.

“It’s obvious who’s creaming it, and it isn’t the farmer who milks the cows,” says Mr Prosser.

ENDS

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