milking it

Paul Murray is all excited because milk producers are paid so little by milk processors. Supermarkets discount milk prices till dairy farmers go bankrupt. Yes, this is a problem, another local industry being destroyed.

What does he want us to do about it? I'm not sure. Letter writers want us to boycott discount milk, Murray does not seem to have such a clear answer.

In our house we have never bought discount milk, for various reasons. We prefer to support local industry rather than major supermarket chains, we recognise that it's the supplier who ultimately pays the price for discounting.

Then there's quality. The simple way to support a discounted price is with discounted quality. It's cheap because... it's cheap. Extra water in the milk, perhaps.

The same logic applies to all "own brand" products. If it's cheap it's because quality has been sacrificed. Or because the manufacturer is being squeezed out of business. Either way, we prefer a known brand with a known reputation for quality. Whether that reputation is good or bad, it's known. And, generally, consistent.

So we support local dairy farmers. And I'm sure our choices have no effect whatsoever but we are trying.

Does Paul Murray have any better ideas?

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Speaking of "local" brands...

The three WA milk processors are foreign owned.

We buy cheese from local producers. Family owned dairies, so it says. Yet the cheese itself is not made locally.

The cheese is usually "made in Australia", according to the packaging. From 98% Australian ingredients. Fair enough.

But it not a West Australian cheese. It's not made with West Australian milk. It's just a company with a West Australia name.

And for half the year the packaging says -- in very small print -- that it is really a New Zealand cheese.

We also buy butter which is branded with the name of a WA town. The butter is made in Australia -- but not in WA.

Is there any way that buying local products could actually support a local business? I welcome Paul Murray's suggestions.

Nick Lethbridge  /  consulting dexitroboper
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"The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you." … B.B. King
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