DAIRY farmers in Australia are being forced to sell their top milking cows for slaughter.
Low milk prices are affecting farmers worldwide, but in the unsupported agri-economy down under, the slump has resulted in mass culling, with once lucrative milking animals despatched to saleyards where they are known as ‘choppers’.
A single saleyard in the prime dairy country of Victoria has reportedly been selling 700 dairy cows a week for slaughter since May, and livestock agent Phil McVilly, who deals with abattoirs in the Camperdown region of southwestern Victoria, said there was no sign of the sell-off slowing down.
The dairy cull began at the end of April when Australia’s biggest milk processor, Murray Goulburn, cut its prices way below what farmers were expecting. They had been relying on AUS$6/kg (€4.05/kg) they had been getting for their milk solids, but were told by MG that they would be getting well under $5/kg (€3.38/kg) – and would have to payback a portion of over-payment, totalling around $200m (€135.01m) between about 2500 farmers.