More farmers speak out against Coles and Woolworths: ‘They're manipulating the market’
- Replies 25
Ask any Aussie about Australia’s most dominant supermarkets, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say Coles and Woolworths might figure in most answers.
But more farmers are saying NO to Australia’s two biggest supermarkets.
In the ongoing battle between Australian farmers and supermarket giants, a Cape York Peninsula producer has joined the ranks of those refusing to do business with Coles and Woolworths.
Melon farmer Shaun Jackson has publicly criticised the major supermarkets for their alleged profit-gouging practices on fruit and vegetables.
Jackson, who has been cultivating melons for the past seven years, has chosen to bypass the big supermarket chains, stating, 'I know what they're like'.
Instead, he has strategically structured his business to cater to 'good independents' and international markets.
'I started growing a few specialty melons and sent them over to Japan, they loved them...Eighty per cent of my products are now going to Japan,' he revealed in an interview with the media.
The 62-year-old farmer warns that this trend could lead to a food crisis in Australia, predicting shortages and significant price increases.
'I guarantee you that people in Australia are going to run down on food,' he said.
Jackson's concerns are echoed by many in the farming community. He warned shoppers may face a crisis as growers exit the industry and predicted shortages and significant price increases.
He claimed to have spoken with 'thousands of growers about their experience' dealing with supermarkets and says 'all of them are too scared to say anything'.
He also added that supermarkets are ‘holding down’ wholesale prices.
‘The truth is a long time ago, the ACCC let two companies own our fuel, our food and our [alcohol], and they own total control,’ he said.
'Coles and Woolworths send their staff around [to each others' stores] with a little notepad to make note of prices.’
'They're manipulating the market. When you own 76 per cent of the food supply, it's a perfect excuse.'
Jackson's sentiments are shared by Ross Marsolino, a Victorian farmer who recently had to abandon an 80-acre zucchini crop.
Marsolino criticised the supermarket giants for their high prices, which he believed are diminishing demand for his produce and making it nearly impossible for him to turn a profit.
'If they were sold at $2.99 a kilo instead of $4.99 a kilo, everyone would be buying zucchinis. But there's not enough in returns,' he said.
Marsolino's farm, Natural Earth Produce in Shepparton in Victoria's Goulburn Valley, grows Roma gourmet tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplants.
He said he can no longer afford the costs of picking, packing, and transporting vegetables if he can't profit from selling them to major retailers.
‘It hurts me walking away from an 80-acre crop,' he said.
'There's no disease on the crop; it's lush, it's growing.'
'We're not retailing the right price to be able to keep the product moving and selling. Plain and simple.’
Marsolino packed about 1,600 boxes of zucchini in a day instead of the usual 6,000. As of posting, it would also be two weeks into harvesting the 80 acres.
‘We're controlled by what the retail sector sells our product at, that determines whether we keep selling the product or not,' he complained.
'This is what is concerning to me; we should be able to service the country with all our produce that we have here. Farmers are just trying to pay their bills.’
‘The supermarkets need to be retailing at a fairer number. Plain and simple.’
Both Jackson and Marsolino are calling for government intervention. They believe a regulatory body should be established to monitor retail prices and question supermarkets over any increases.
Have you noticed low stocks and a change in the quality or price of produce at your local supermarket? Let us know in the comments below.
But more farmers are saying NO to Australia’s two biggest supermarkets.
In the ongoing battle between Australian farmers and supermarket giants, a Cape York Peninsula producer has joined the ranks of those refusing to do business with Coles and Woolworths.
Melon farmer Shaun Jackson has publicly criticised the major supermarkets for their alleged profit-gouging practices on fruit and vegetables.
Jackson, who has been cultivating melons for the past seven years, has chosen to bypass the big supermarket chains, stating, 'I know what they're like'.
Another farmer bypassed sending products to supermarket giants. Credit: @daintreefresh / Instagram
Instead, he has strategically structured his business to cater to 'good independents' and international markets.
'I started growing a few specialty melons and sent them over to Japan, they loved them...Eighty per cent of my products are now going to Japan,' he revealed in an interview with the media.
The 62-year-old farmer warns that this trend could lead to a food crisis in Australia, predicting shortages and significant price increases.
'I guarantee you that people in Australia are going to run down on food,' he said.
Jackson's concerns are echoed by many in the farming community. He warned shoppers may face a crisis as growers exit the industry and predicted shortages and significant price increases.
He claimed to have spoken with 'thousands of growers about their experience' dealing with supermarkets and says 'all of them are too scared to say anything'.
He also added that supermarkets are ‘holding down’ wholesale prices.
‘The truth is a long time ago, the ACCC let two companies own our fuel, our food and our [alcohol], and they own total control,’ he said.
'Coles and Woolworths send their staff around [to each others' stores] with a little notepad to make note of prices.’
'They're manipulating the market. When you own 76 per cent of the food supply, it's a perfect excuse.'
Jackson's sentiments are shared by Ross Marsolino, a Victorian farmer who recently had to abandon an 80-acre zucchini crop.
Marsolino criticised the supermarket giants for their high prices, which he believed are diminishing demand for his produce and making it nearly impossible for him to turn a profit.
'If they were sold at $2.99 a kilo instead of $4.99 a kilo, everyone would be buying zucchinis. But there's not enough in returns,' he said.
Marsolino's farm, Natural Earth Produce in Shepparton in Victoria's Goulburn Valley, grows Roma gourmet tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplants.
He said he can no longer afford the costs of picking, packing, and transporting vegetables if he can't profit from selling them to major retailers.
‘It hurts me walking away from an 80-acre crop,' he said.
'There's no disease on the crop; it's lush, it's growing.'
'We're not retailing the right price to be able to keep the product moving and selling. Plain and simple.’
Marsolino packed about 1,600 boxes of zucchini in a day instead of the usual 6,000. As of posting, it would also be two weeks into harvesting the 80 acres.
‘We're controlled by what the retail sector sells our product at, that determines whether we keep selling the product or not,' he complained.
'This is what is concerning to me; we should be able to service the country with all our produce that we have here. Farmers are just trying to pay their bills.’
‘The supermarkets need to be retailing at a fairer number. Plain and simple.’
Both Jackson and Marsolino are calling for government intervention. They believe a regulatory body should be established to monitor retail prices and question supermarkets over any increases.
.png){kind=icon}
funny
