Calm before the storm

Either there is more milk out there than processors can cope with, and there should be dumping, or they are still buying and using it in manufacturing, and stockpiling processed product, ready for releasing it onto the market when they have none, after producers have all either bailed out or ceased trading when the banks have pulled the plug. No-one is having their milk rejected locally as far as I can tell, and it is being collected daily, albeit with a higher proportion being paid at B-rate levels. Is there sense in stockpiling product produced at higher rates (even at B-band payment) if the same product will become available later at a much lower cost once the spot price has crashed under the scenario described in Mr Curran's article, and there is wholesale dumping of unwanted milk onto the open market and no-one can get a contact to supply milk? The two pictures struggle to sit comfortably side by side. However, worries of a Chinese hard landing this week don't bode well for short to medium term demand improvement, and Mr Curran's fears could easily come to fruition in a market environment where human irrationality and greed by a self-selected few seems to take precedence over the needs of the greater populace for stability and a predictable source of a reasonably priced and sustainably produced, quality food source, which milk and dairy products can provide. We have become victims of the commodification of the basic things needed to maintain life. We may live to regret it.

"Unfortunately the earth can provide enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed". With milk @ $9.00 a litre in China whose being greedy...Is it the wholesalers or the retailers...it's certainly not the producers?

Working with my farm clients, I can confirm it is not the producers, who are continually demoralised by the downward pressure on their way of life by the processors and retailers who give no value to the work they do and the needs of their businesses. The balance of control is very one-sided in so many respects, and the power of the contract they are ruled by offers little help to the situation of the producer.

Several years ago there were several farmers co-operatives, but the farmers got greedy and sold them out for just a few cents...so the farmers must stop the blame and learn from past experiences. What farmers need to do now...is take the bull by the horns; turning the shitty end around and shoving it in the face of the greedy wholesalers, retailers and boffins. Surely there's a few business like farmers or executives with balls enough to meet the challenge....

Dairy industry has already been at threats. I have seen the top executives of dairy farmers associations in KP Pakistan escaping dairy farming and seeking refuge in poultry farming or even electronic industries. The farm management is usually under unskilled greedy labors and the farmer's income is engulfed by them. Bringing any innovation is impossible because these labor do not like and tolerate it. Huge investments made by the farming families are not capable of providing the due financial returns to the producers, nor toxins and pathogens-free food to the consumers. Dairy Science Park has emerged at the University of Agriculture, Peshawar with the vision of self employment for the youth and hygienic food production for the people through networking farmers with the veterinary practitioners, inputs suppliers, service providers and quality control laboratories. Details may be accessed at http://dairysciencepark.org.pk/services/

Dear Prof Subhan Qureshi, As an analytical biochemist, I'm indulging in developing pen side STAT monitoring system for dairy cow farms. The proprietary tech platform derived from POCT in clinical diagnosis. The primary target of this Vetiscan system is p4 quantitation in cow pregnancy monitoring. It will be on field trail in March and we expect any other dairy farm pen side analytical targets could be resolved min the same way as p4 quantiation. Next, we'll head for mycotoxins and antibiotics pen side quantitation. However, we are not sure if it is needed in cow diseases monitoring since in those cases pathogen quantitation is not such important as well as in reproduction, feed & milk quality. Hopefully, once if a ease to use, handheld pen side monitor is presence, the dependency of skill labor shall not be as heavy as it is now. Kuang P. Hsiung, PhD., CTO., TUBI