But we do not see any substance nor detail in how these goals and hopes are to be achieved.

Unfortunately, it seems this is no different than what has been presented before.

Our dairy farmers cannot afford to absorb any further failures.

It has been the toxic culture for two of these ‘so called’ key dairy organisations to continuously deliver the same rhetoric year-after-year and not make one ounce of difference to dairy farmers and results on the ground.

Advocacy and restructure of the dairy industry had been the number one issue addressed in the Draft Dairy Plan up until now.

Now suddenly the emphasis is all about profit?

During the consultation period, Farmer Power made it quite clear to those who would listen that the reporting on those consultation programs was incorrect.

We pointed out that the facts being portrayed were wrong regarding their order of importance.

Profitability was always the number one concern of dairy farmers. Not – as listed in their ADP – in the appendixes at number 10

It is pleasing, though, to finally see that the peak bodies have now come to acknowledge this, and confirm our claims that the reporting from those consultation meetings was wrong in the first place.

This points to the fact that, even though they claim they were listening to dairy farmers, it is obvious that they were not hearing what the dairy farmers had to say.

This only further damages the way the peak bodies are perceived and their credibility.

Unfortunately, under this current structure, history – we fear – will only repeat itself as it has done in the past.

To date, the peak bodies have failed to deliver profitability through every plan they have tried to deliver.

Now, in 2020, we are being asked to believe this is a magical turning point.

There is no doubt in our mind – and for many others – that a totally new structure is needed.

This is one where advocacy bodies and processors are separate, such as that proposed by the Wannon Solution.

Given that the peak bodies have come under extreme criticism due to their proposed structure for dairy farmer advocacy – where they want to include processors at the same table – and though the ADP does not directly address this, it does refer to it in general terms.

However, believe us, in their eyes this is still very much alive and still their preferred option.

It is Farmer Power’s considered opinion that dairy farmers have little or no belief, let alone trust, in these supposedly ‘representative’ bodies – especially to deliver on this plan on behalf of all dairy farmers.

Should we be as cynical to think that this change in direction talking about profitability as the number one issue is this to take some of the heat out of the current debate on industry structure and advocacy?

Well, we will let you make up your own mind on that.