Why SA dairy farmers are failing to compete with imports
The views expressed in our weekly opinion piece do not necessarily reflect those of Farmer’s Weekly.
Email Bertus van Heerden at bertus@mpo.co.za.
“In simple terms, one of the main reasons that so many producers have left dairy production in recent years, and why those who remain have to increase the scale of their operations to survive, is low farm-gate prices for milk. These low prices are a result of margin loss amongst dairy processors emanating from cheap (often subsidised) imported milk products that is then pushed back on milk producers.
For years, the Milk Producers’ Organisation has argued that the level of free on board (FOB) prices of imported dairy products
