LIFELINE Australia launched an emergency appeal on Friday calling on Australians to help ensure thousands of dairy farm workers and their families have access to 24/7 crisis support.
The national charity’s Dairy Crisis Appeal comes after urgent requests for assistance from the industry, with a number of organisations receiving calls from desperate farmers thinking about taking their own lives.
Lifeline Central West executive officer Alex Ferguson, who is also a farmer, said Lifeline staff are always there to help but is frustrated dairy farmers in the Central West and around the country have been pushed to the brink.
“Help is always available from Lifeline to dairy farmers in the Central West and to everyone else,” he said.
“Our crisis line can help them talk about some of their issues but the reality is that two major supermarket chains have largely destroyed a rural industry.
“We can do a lot for an individual who is seriously worried about their long-term position as a farmer but it seems to me from a personal point of view and not the view of Lifeline, that the community needs to recognise that the price they are currently paying for milk is below the cost of production.
“Therefore it is quite possible that we are at risk of losing large sections of that industry.”
Mr Ferguson said recent government rescue packages based on loans and short-term support will do nothing to hide the fact that milk is simply too cheap at a retail level.
He said Lifeline is happy to step in and do their part to help farmers struggling to cope with the recent crisis, but he’d like to see more done to resolve the issue at its source.
“The process ultimately should be about fixing the problem,” he said.
“The problem is that the product is simply too cheap - Lifeline will do our bit but there is a whole bunch of people out there, in particular a couple of major retailers, who need to have a good hard look at the process and pricing of milk products before large sections of the industry cease to exist.”
To give to Lifeline’s Dairy Crisis Appeal and provide support to farming communities, visit https://www.lifeline.org.au/emergencyappeal.
For crisis or suicide prevention support, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit www.lifeline.org.au/gethelp.
bryson.ferreira@fairfaxmedia.com.au
