Agriculture is having a moment.
We started the week with Thank A Farmer Day, while the Royal Easter Show has brought a slice of farming to Sydney and highlighted the essential everyday contribution farmers make to our lives.
It's fitting, then, to announce the appointment of a new Dairy Manager at NSW Farmers.
The Dairy Manager role represents a new chapter for dairy at NSW Farmers, and follows 18 months of discussions to reform advocacy for the state's dairy farmers.
The new Dairy Manager will be Dan Brear, who has been with NSW Farmers for four years working with members in the state's south.
Agriculture overall is doing well, with a record year under our belt and favourable seasonal conditions continuing for the third consecutive year.
Dairy farmers have had a relatively positive run, with retail prices finally lifting and the Dairy Code of Conduct helping to alleviate power discrepancies between farmers and processors, but there's still more to do.
It is also important we don't forget those flood-affected farmers in northern and southern parts of the state, many of whom are dairy farmers.
For these farmers, Easter will be a time for clean-up and recovery rather than a well-earned break, and our thoughts are with them.
Disaster response will be one of the areas our new Dairy Manager will work on as part of a broader plan to louden the voice of NSW dairy farmers.
Competition policy, fair retail prices, energy prices, coastal harvestable rights, and truth in labelling will be other focus areas.
The new Dairy Manager will deliver greater value to members by providing specialised policy advice, stronger advocacy, and increased member communications.
He will work with key dairy stakeholders across NSW and Australia to ensure strong representation while maximising the value that dairy farmers receive across all service bodies.
Mr Brear will commence in the new role in mid-May. In the meantime, we urge all Australians to continue to enjoy locally produced dairy products.
- Colin Thompson, NSW Farmers Dairy committee chair
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