Norco Co-operative farmers are expected to deliver around 660,000 litres of milk this festive season, and will receive an extra 15 cents per litre for milk supplied on Christmas Day through the annual Christmas Bonus initiative.
The initiative follows Norco’s farm gate milk price increase of an additional 1.1 cents per litre earlier this year, taking the average price to 88 cents per litre ($0.88), reflecting the highest farm gate milk price (on average) Norco dairy farmers have ever received.
With these increases and bonuses combined, Norco is expected to pay its farmers an additional $25.6m more than last year, $5.6m of which is driven via high milk price, with $20m attributed to volume.
Norco CEO Michael Hampson said that as Australia’s last operating dairy co-operative, the Christmas Day Bonus was one way to acknowledge the hard work and dedication that goes into putting high-quality milk on supermarket shelves, year-round.
“We are proud to lead the industry on milk price, but this initiative is about more than that; it’s about showing our farmers how much we value what they do, especially during the Christmas period,” said Hampson.
In March this year Norco launched the National Farmer Wellbeing Report which shone a spotlight on the mental health of hardworking Aussie farmers.
It also revealed that more than three quarters (76 per cent) of farmers across the country don’t feel the Australian public values what they do anymore.
Hampson said that the report findings were sobering, but what really stood out was the fact that Australian farmers no longer felt valued, something that he says absolutely has to change.
“Our farmers really are the backbone of this country, and Norco’s efforts are about ensuring they feel valued by getting get a fair days pay for a fair days work, particularly on Christmas Day. And the best way consumers can show their support for our hard-working farmers is by buying Aussie-owned products this Christmas if they can.
Norco milk comes in one, two or three litres and is available in Queensland and New South Wales at Woolworths, Coles and selected independent supermarkets.
