Arabic version: مزارع ألبان في كوينزلاند يخشى إعدام قطيعه بعد انتهاء العقد
According to ABC News, Queensland dairy farmer Jason Rozynski fears he may have to cull his 600 Brown Swiss cows and close the family business if he cannot secure a processor to buy its milk. Maleny Dairies told him in June that his milk supply contract would not be renewed.
The Rozynski family produces about 3.3 million litres of milk from two farms near Imbil in the Mary Valley, about 170 kilometres north of Brisbane. The family marked 80 years of dairying on its home farm earlier in 2026, while the Brown Swiss herd has been developed over 20 years.
Mr Rozynski said other processors had told the family their books were closed and there was no room for its milk. Norco, Bega Cheese, Lactalis Australia and Dairy Farmers, which signed the 2026-2032 Queensland Dairy Plan, had not agreed to buy the milk. The plan aims to lift Queensland milk production by five per cent.
Maleny Dairies co-owner Ross Hopper described the decision to end the decade-long supply relationship as a business decision. He said Queensland had an oversupply of milk and the processor needed to adjust contracts, milk flow and volumes. Maleny Dairies buys milk from 11 farms in south-east Queensland and employs more than 50 workers at its processing plant.
EastAUSmilk president Tim Bale said processing capacity was being affected by the July sale of Lactalis’s South Brisbane factory for redevelopment, as well as Woolworths’ decision to phase out its Farmers Own brand. Woolworths said it was consulting affected farmers and would continue to honour contract terms, including an option to extend contracts for an extra 12 months.
