"He assumes that we all have shares in these operations that control the supermarkets. We don't. My super funds don't."

Umm SF, most Aussies have super and most super funds have shares in
either Woolies, Coles, IGA or all three. Aldi, which is snapping
at the heels of the others, is the only privately owned one.

Yup, I am a hobby farmer, as I don't depend on farming for a living
anymore. I got wise, owning shares in other industries is far more
profitable then farming :) But I have been in agriculture all
my life and understand the issues. A couple of thousand sheep
is considered a hobby farm over here in the West, but perhaps
not in the East.

Fact is that Woolies and Coles are not those paying the lowest
prices for lambs. They generally buy at the premium end of the
market. Its large meat processors trying to send other meat
processors broke by dumping on their international markets,
buying as cheap as they can, that is our problem. Our farmers
should take a leaf out of NZ farmers books and pay more attention
to the value adding of their product. Fonterra, a major milk
processor in Aus, is in fact owned by Kiwi farmers.

People are free to choose. If you don't want hormone and antibiotic
loaded meat, so pay a bit more and buy free range. I certainly
do and all my lambs are free range and happy lambs. Free range
pig production is also catching on.

Lastly, farmers markets are catching on fast. They avoid the
whole marketing chain we have and are popping up everywhere.
They are a great place for smaller farmers to market their
products directly to consumers.

Market based initiatives are more efficient than command and control legislation.

The Wal-mart thing has been played out all across America which still has a huge number of small towns from coast to coast. Wal-mart is terrible to work for but they never seem to have trouble finding workers. Not unlike what happens here with casual workers, most of the Wal-mart people work for a few hours a day and / or do not work a full week. Mums, teenagers, students, over educated and the semi-retired welcome the positions.

But small town American shops and shops and shops at Wal-mart. Why? As others have pointed out, many people will choose to buy for less -- self interest reigns in other words. My son recently visited the USA for 9 months and said the inside of a Wal-mart is identical in appearance to our Big W.

Handguns are not legally sold on a no questions asked basis any where in the USA. Forms are filled in guaranteed. The USA has enough firearm legislation to fill an Olympic swimming pool. Google the Brady Bill.

Pushing dairy farmers out of business by having the buyer dictate the price is simply a variation of a corporate take over. When Woolies and Coles control the entire supply chain capitalism will present an opportunity for the small player

I have a lot of sympathy for farmers but they have historically failed to practise marketing strategies. The ones who do have a future -- watch Land Line. My best mate & farmer made more money dealing futures than raising sheep in 1979, not much has changed.

Market based initiatives are more efficient than command and control legislation.

The Wal-mart thing has been played out all across America which still has a huge number of small towns from coast to coast. Wal-mart are terrible to work for but they never seem to have trouble finding workers. Not unlike what happens here with casual workers, most of the Wal-mart people work for a few hours a day and / or do not work a full week. Mums, teenagers, students, over educated and the semi-retired welcome the positions.

But small town American shops and shops and shops at Wal-mart. Why? As others have pointed out, many people will choose to buy for less -- self interest reigns in other words. My son recently visited the USA for 9 months and said the inside of a Wal-mart is identical in appearance to our Big W.

Handguns are not legally sold on a no questions asked basis any where in the USA. Forms are filled in guaranteed. The USA has enough firearm legislation to fill an Olympic swimming pool. Google the Brady Bill.

Pushing dairy farmers out of business by having the buyer dictate the price is simply a variation of a corporate take over. When Woolies and Coles contol the entire supply chain capitalism will present an opportunity for the small player

I have a lot of sympathy for farmers but they have historically failed to practise marketing strategies. The ones who do have a future -- watch Land Line. My best mate & farmer made more money dealing futures than raising sheep in 1979, not much has changed.

Woolworth’s have kept food prices low and must deserve some accolade for this. I find it obscene however that Coca Cola can be sold cheaper than water and the junk food brands such as Arnott’s, Nestles, Kellogg’s etc. occupy so much shelf space while it hard to find bulk whole food such as pulses and grains. I think it would be helpful if Woolworth’s and Coles reduced the shelf area for those huge boxes of air and fluffed junk food marketed by Kellogg’s etc.
Dialogue with the CWA about some of the Woolworth’s marketing strategies would be more constructive than a cash handover. Most money sent to drought relief does not reach the bottom of the barrel and wets the sides a bit by being soaked up by the better-informed or less deserving.

Hi Volition. Dont ya love the stimulation :)If our local farmers are provided with a level playing field to compete with O/S farmers then I would perhaps have less problem. However just ask the peanut growers in Kingaroy about the legislations that they have to contend with in the process of producing their product and you will see that the same is not true for the farmers of Brazil. The quality standards that Australian Farmers have to meet is far greater than overseas farmers.
Re Antibiotics and Hormones, Yes I would have majoir issues with fast food outlets and I dont buy meat or anything at woolies, however You I and all the other respondants to this forum I would venture to suggest are probably better educated than mainstream average mum who buys the household food, it is not you or us it is the main stream majority which are being used and their is a duty of care for our Governments to ensure that the products which are offered are at least fit for human consumption.
You have a bent view of profit generation perhaps like manny othe greedy people who think that all growth is positive. Like how many people can you fit on this planet, how much do you need to make, do you think everyone SHOULD make the income you make. Very selfish and narrow sighted.
Integrity, isnt it great. Integrity does not mean honesty or sincerity however it could include those points. Integrity is a "consistent set of values" a bit like Sunday Christians, change the values when it suits you. Like Rodger claiming to be a Christian and operating behind the shield of the corporation and doing so with out responsibility for his actions.

The federal govt is still sitting on a report about the price disparity between what the farmer gets and what the produce is sold for.

A simple check of the produce market prices will show how much of a gap there is between what the farmer gets and what the consumer pays.

I was dismayed that in this article there was no mention of the ways in which the Howard govt refuses to make the report public.

Instead of legislating a fair deal, they support the top end of town and proposed a 'voluntary code of practice'.

Woolies and Coles are just exploiting the oportunity that John Howard and his accomplices create.