A CAMPAIGN supporting local dairy farmers passed through Busselton on Monday, with staff from Brownes Dairy collecting empty yoghurt tubs from rival companies, and replacing them with full tubs of WA-farmed Brownes yoghurt.
The truck began collecting empty yoghurt tubs in Perth, and after moving on to Bunbury and Brunswick, made its way to Busselton.
Going to Cowaramup and Margaret River afterwards, the truck moved on to Albany, and will soon be in Esperance, before heading across the Nullarbor, driven by the managing director of the company.
“We want people to stop and think when doing their grocery shopping – to think about where their food is coming from,” managing director of Brownes Dairy, Ben Purcell, said.
“They can get a local product that is a few days fresher, which supports local farmers and families.”
Brownes purchases milk from farmers from Waroona to Scott River, to Northcliffe, with the majority of the milk coming from South West farms.
“These big companies are trying to strangle the local industry,” milk supply manager, Laurie Cransberg, said.
“If we don’t support our farmers now we won’t have farms in the future – no local fresh milk will be available.”
Ben said Brownes is proud to support the local industry, and said even in the current financial climate the company had increased the price paid to farmers three times in the last year.
“In 126 years in business, Brownes has never used permeate in our milk, and never used a single litre from outside of the state,” he said.
The truck will dump the empty containers at a recycling plant in Melbourne, right near a plant that produces yoghurt for a rival company.
