Farmers’ Fund milk, a new brand which will raise money for Australian dairy farmers, will be launched in Victorian supermarkets this week.
AAP reports that the new brand will be made by Murray Goulburn (MG) under license from the Victorian Farmers Federation, and sold in Coles supermarkets.
The milk will sell for $2.50 per two litre container and 40 cents of that price will go to a fund to support struggling farmers. Individual farmers will be able to apply for grants up $20,000 with the first of these to be delivered in mid-October.
The move follows the April decisions of the two major dairy processors, MG as well as Fonterra to retrospectively cut farmgate milk prices. This has left many farmers in financial difficulty.
VFF President David Jochinke said the establishment of the Farmers’ Fund brand had strong potential to bridge the gap between primary producers and consumers.
“Many people have asked what they can do to help dairy farmers. If they are not already buying branded milk, they can now buy Farmers’ Fund milk knowing that they are directly investing 40 cents straight into the Farmers’ Fund,” he said in a statement.
“Milk is our first product and is the start of something much greater. There is a great opportunity for a farmer advocacy group like VFF to leverage the Farmers’ Fund brand to share with consumers the challenges farmers face and show how to support them all year round, not only in times of need.”