I would like to congratulate Jonathon Price on becoming the new DairyTas executive officer. I’m sure he has the experience and expertise to continue and progress with the great job Mark Smith did.
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DairyTas is continuing to promote the dairy industry to schools as a career path for students to consider, which is great, however there are issues within the industry that need to be addressed ASAP.
We need to stop the exodus of young, talented people leaving the industry because they have had enough of the way they are expected to work and the poor recognition for their efforts.
Family members are walking off family farms because they are expected to work seven days a week for poor pay, with the pretense of one day having the farm. Huge debt and all.
These people have witnessed how their parents slaved away all their lives. Witnessed the heartache and stress their parents endured. They rightly don’t want to experience this.
Times have changed. There’s a lot of farmers who need to be educated on how to treat staff. Without staff their business doesn’t exist.
Farmers need to wake up to the fact that young people want to have a life. They don’t want to work ridiculously long days for pathetic pay rates. All farmers base pay on the Pastoral Award 2010. These antiquated pay rates need to be updated.
People working on farms are about the poorest paid in the workforce. Farmers are still paying on per milking rates and a lot of staff are employed casually, so if something happens, like the milk price drop, they are sacked. These people have rents, car payments, families to support. These farmers couldn’t care less.
The new corporate farms (the industry’s future) are expecting, and demanding, tertiary qualified people to run their farms, but only offer a pathetic salary for the work.
There needs to be a whole new approach to the way farmers look at and run their businesses. Stop treating the milk companies like they are you’re best friends. These companies are there to make a profit. This was shown by what MG did to their suppliers, but suppliers still stuck by this company supporting them.
We have these milk companies helping the farmers with their budgets. Seriously, what other business tells the company who’s paying them what their earning? Dairy Business of the Year Awards are a great tool for farmers to benchmark their business, however, all this information is displayed for everyone on the planet to read. You’re milk companies CEOs included.
Come on dairy farmers, it’s a great industry, wake up to the obvious.
