After months of negotiation Queensland Dairyfarmers Organisation (QDO) and Dairy Connect are poised to become eastAUSmilk representing NSW and Queensland dairy producers. Dairy Connect’s dairy farmer group president Graham Forbes said the group has worked to form a single dairy farmer organisation that best represents both states’ producers. Dairy Connect will hold a webinar to discuss the consultation issues paper where farmers can join representatives of Dairy Connect and ask questions about the proposed merger. “Dairy farmer engagement and their taking ownership are vital to the overall success of this merger,” says Dairy Connect CEO Shaughn Morgan.

Meanwhile, The United Dairyfarmers of Victoria (UDV) is at odds with the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) over a major restructure. UDV vice president Mark Billings says the change from having dedicated commodity policy officers to centralised staff will dilute its policy work and the value proposition and raised concerns about a lack of consultation. In response VFF President Emma Germano said Billing was taking a “narrow perspective” and claimed the UDV would in fact be better resourced. Germano also pointed to the relative cost of running each commodity policy council with dairy costing $120 per member to operate while grains cost $30 per member. Germano claimed dairy farmers were frustrated with advocacy across the board, as most could not identify where the compulsory levy they pay to Dairy Australia was used.