Member for Mallee, Anne Webster said that by 1 January 2020 the Australian dairy industry will have a mandatory code of conduct, ahead of the timetable taken to the election. The mandatory code will improve the contractual arrangements between dairy farmers and dairy processors.
“As the local member for Mallee, I understand the need for clear safeguards which outline how farmers are treated as members of the supply chain and therefore the need for the code to be in place as soon as possible,” Dr Webster said.
“I’ve been pushing for the code of conduct process for dairy farmers to speed up and I am pleased to see this has paid off.
“Ahead of the code’s formal introduction the dairy industry is on notice to make sure that the contracts offered to farmers are appropriate and fair.
“The mandatory code is an election promise and is an outcome of the April 2018 Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) report into the dairy sector.
“The dairy industry has had a huge role in developing the code and I look forward to the release of the exposure code later this week.
“Consultation on the exposure code will be open for four weeks and, from January 2020, the industry will be bound by the new code.
“Stakeholder consultation is an essential component in the development of this mandatory code so I encourage all those in the dairy industry to review it and have a say.”
For further information go to the Department of Agriculture’s Have Your Say survey site.