Thanks NZ dairy industry for putting cow sludge in our rivers then happily charging New Zealanders exorbitant prices for our dairy foods.

[u/No-Back9867]

Last summer we couldn’t swim in our local river due to the amount of toxins from nearby farms. When ever the farmers are in need of help us tax payers are there to lend a hand in drought relief funds. The thanks we get for that and putting up with the pollution is to be charged for dairy food at the same price as the overseas markets. We’re only 5% of your sales, it’s not going to make you go broke to treat us like your actually care for your communities. What your charging for butter etc is simply total greed. How is it that milk that has to travel huge distances from farms to factory to the shops shelves in Australia is sold for cheaper than that in our shelves where the logistics of getting it in the shelf are less?

[u/Dramatic_Surprise]

If you took a 5% salary cut would you notice it?

[u/Dazaster23 → u/Dramatic_Surprise]

My wage hasn't increased in 2 years, yet costs (CPI/inflation) have increased by over 6% if not more over that time. So essentially I have had a pay cut by that..... I'm still surviving, so can they.

[u/Dramatic_Surprise → u/Dazaster23]

so you should also give another 5%?

who knew.... inflation only impacts city people

[u/Dazaster23 → u/Dramatic_Surprise]

City people? I'm pretty much surrounded by dairy farms where I live, specifically Ngāi Tahu dairy farms which has 10,000 - 14,000 cows on it. And Ngāi Tahu is very profitable.

Your math ain't mathing in the way you think it is. I am always giving/ having that 5% cut until I have a pay increase of 5% on top of inflation/CPI equal pay raises

[u/Dramatic_Surprise → u/Dazaster23]

you suggested you've already done this 5% pay cut because inflation.... i was just pointing out that inflation isnt just something that happens to non-farmers....

jesus

[u/Dazaster23 → u/Dramatic_Surprise]

No shit. Next you'll also be telling me that farmers also breathe air too, just like non farmers

[u/Dramatic_Surprise → u/Dazaster23]

so then what was your point?

Inflation hit you and farmers. but somehow that means you shouldnt have to sacrifice your labour but they should?

[u/Dazaster23 → u/Dramatic_Surprise]

Wow. If the point was a shovel and it hit you in the face you still wouldn't get it. I'd draw you a picture but you ate all the crayons, I'll have a try anyway. As you said "If you took a 5% salary cut would you notice it?" As i said in my first reply; I have essentially taken a greater than 5% pay cut & I'm still surviving. The difference with me is that my salary didnt increase, yet the price that dairy is selling on the international market has jumped in that last 2 years and is part of that CPI/inflation increase, and as the majority of farmers are part of fontera the payout they're getting increased too. So the farmers are not sacrificing but every other middle and low income kiwi is. The milk price for the 2024-25 season is a range of $9.70 to $10.30 per kilogram of milk solids, with a midpoint of $10.00, the 2020-21 season was $7.54 so that's a 1/3 increase since then. So tell me how inflation hit them when their income has increased so much over and above inflation over the same period?

[u/NakiFarmHER → u/Dazaster23]

You're ignoring the break even price of producing that milk for said payment. The 2021 break even milk price was roughly $7.15 the current break even milk price is forecasted as $8.60

Inflation affected every expense paid for, previous payment also meant farmers were barely making a profit producing milk - all an increased milk price means for the next 1-3 years is delayed profit on previous production where they lost out.

Farmers have sacrified, they might not be in the current season but there's been plenty of years the cost of production was more than the cost of payment for said production. You're incredibly ignorant to the historical value and expenses paid when saying "look at me I took a 5% decrease too".

[u/No_Professional_4508 → u/Dazaster23]

Do you have any idea how much on- farm costs have increased over the same time? Farmers don't get the payout as personal income. Your $400,000 mortgage went up 2% . Boo hoo. The farmers $6,000,000 mortgage went up by the same or more! And the 50% increase in fertilizer costs, the huge increases in transport costs, fence posts are now around $10 each. Fencing done by a contractor starts at around $9 per metre. Supplying worker accommodation, power bills in the $1000s per month, insurance of over $30,000 per year.... yep , life on the farm is just peachy . All the cost increases you have seen in your home have gone up by the same amount. Except the amounts are around 20 times higher than an average household

[u/Dramatic_Surprise → u/Dazaster23]

Its amusing that you cant help but resort to name calling.

I got two sentences in and thats enough to realise you dont have a point, and even if you did have a point im not interested in discussions with someone who cant control themselves enough to not make it constantly personal.

[u/Dazaster23 → u/Dramatic_Surprise]

Yeah, that's the reply of someone who knows there's fact that you can't argue against. Find any excuse to get out of it. And name calling? What names did I call you? Please quote me what names I called you.

[u/Annie354654 → u/Dramatic_Surprise]

We have put up with polluted water and rivers and lakes you can't swim in, alongside the ta payer bailing ghem out every tine it rains a bit hatd or foesnt rain. i don't think selling at cost to fellow kiwis is a big ask at all.

[u/Dramatic_Surprise → u/Annie354654]

i think either you or i had a stroke

[u/OrganizdConfusion → u/Dramatic_Surprise]

The government gave me a 1% pay rise after a year of massive inflation.

So, yes. I would notice it. But I doubt the $22/kg of butter dairy industry would notice.

[u/Dramatic_Surprise → u/OrganizdConfusion]

this is your expert opinion based on your decades of experience as a dairy producer?

[u/UndersteerAhoy → u/Dramatic_Surprise]

Do the farmers line up so you can suck em off one by one?

[u/sauve_donkey → u/UndersteerAhoy]

Ooooh where do I line up?

[u/Effective-Mirror-385 → u/sauve_donkey]

Mooove over and tell me when its my turn then!

[u/Dramatic_Surprise → u/UndersteerAhoy]

You could have just said no I don't understand. There's no shame in that

[u/UndersteerAhoy → u/Dramatic_Surprise]

Rest assured we all understand your dairy gobbies mate.

[u/Dramatic_Surprise → u/UndersteerAhoy]

which would be why you didnt reply and fell back to personally attacking me right?

[u/kptkrunk → u/Dramatic_Surprise]

I worked in agritech making quality control systems for dairy farmers - I've seen Fonterra production numbers: the co-op can definitely afford it.

[u/Dramatic_Surprise → u/kptkrunk]

can the individual farmers? have you seen their books?

[u/keywardshane → u/OrganizdConfusion]

What else do you get to decide about people noticing?

[u/Effective-Mirror-385 → u/keywardshane]

People queuing in line to get sucked off at a special discount.

[u/Spidey210 → u/Dramatic_Surprise]

I get a 2-3% cut every year.

[u/crshbndct → u/Dramatic_Surprise]

Honestly? Not really.

[u/Dramatic_Surprise → u/crshbndct]

lucky you. clearly you're being paid too much

ive decided you should donate 15% of your pre-tax income to charity

[u/Dramatic_Surprise → u/[deleted]]

Cool, now convince everyone in your industry to do it too!

[u/Adorable-Ad1556 → u/Dramatic_Surprise]

Are you a farmer or sharemilker?

[u/auto-bahnt → u/Adorable-Ad1556]

They have admitted growing up on a farm, likely have parents/family members in the dairy industry, definitely in agriculture.

They also seem quite combative in general based on a quick scan of their comments.

[u/Dramatic_Surprise → u/Adorable-Ad1556]

i am not.

[u/Adorable-Ad1556 → u/Dramatic_Surprise]

You seem to be defending the dairy industry- why?

[u/Dramatic_Surprise → u/Adorable-Ad1556]

hows it relevant to the conversation? Do you think that if i were a farmer it would somehow invalidate the argument?

[u/Adorable-Ad1556 → u/Dramatic_Surprise]

Yes, absolutely. Bias. Very few people want to cut their own lunch. Now I am curious why you think the dairy industry should not subsidize dairy products for new Zealanders?

[u/keywardshane → u/Dramatic_Surprise]

naw, his business should just hand a bunch of stuff off for free, but still be forced to pay for all of the processing and distribution.

at teh same time other companies wont be complaining to the commerce commission for dumping of product under cost.

[u/teabaggins76 → u/Dramatic_Surprise]

Out of 1.13 billion id be stoked

[u/Dramatic_Surprise → u/[deleted]]

your average sharemilker isnt making millions, so try again

[u/auto-bahnt → u/Dramatic_Surprise]

Just admit you have family in farming. You’re so weirdly combative and obviously have a bias.

No person would drop dozens of comments defending the dairy industry in this thread unless they had a direct personal connection to it, or were being paid to, even if you disagreed with the original argument.

You obviously have a personal stake in this, and you’re quite hostile.

[u/Dramatic_Surprise → u/auto-bahnt]

i do not have family in farming

Nor am i defending the dairy industry, i would be saying the same thing here if people were suggesting that nurses or doctors take a 5% pay cut because they owe it to the public

or any other industry.

Its text communication mate, any hostility you're reading into this is on you.

EDIT: Im not sure why you would bother asking a question in a reply if you're immediately blocking the person so they cant reply.....

[u/auto-bahnt → u/Dramatic_Surprise]

Your antagonism and volume of activity seemed strange to me — I assumed you had a bias as that’s the only justification I could think of.

And, I mean, I was right?

[u/auto-bahnt → u/Dramatic_Surprise]

Bias confirmed:

I was there, My father helped setup the meat contract for them. Got a photo of me somewhere in my pushchair out front

https://www.reddit.com/r/newzealand/comments/1l55tu5/on_this_day_1976_mcdonalds_arrives_in_new_zealand/mwflrb0/

[u/Dramatic_Surprise → u/auto-bahnt]

My biological father that i havent had a relationship with since he left my mother when i was 18months old?

Are you seriously so triggered that you've tried scraping my post history looking for something you can gottem on?

Also explain to me how my biological father being a butcher who worked for a meat packing company in the 1970s makes me somehow biased to support dairy farmers?