Kenilworth Dairies saves the Rosinsky family dairy farm from closure

The Rosinski family's dairy farm faced the threat of closure after processor Maleny Dairies gave them three months' notice that it would not renew their contract. The agreement expired, and other major processors — Lactalis, Bega, Dairy Farmers and Norco — did not take the milk by the set deadline. The situation is complicated by the fact that this period in Queensland sees a peak in milk production alongside falling demand.

John Cochrane of Kenilworth Dairies came to the rescue. It will take at least two weeks to approve barcodes and print labels, after which the milk bottled directly from the Rosinski farm will hit the shelves. In addition, to process the surplus milk from the Mary Valley, Mr Cochrane turned to Richmond Dairies in northern New South Wales: this raw material will be used for ingredients for the Australian processing industry and export, which will generate less income but help them hold out until next year.

As Joe Bradley, eastAUSmilk director and industry representative, noted, the closure of the Rosinski family's Beez Knees Brown Swiss Dairy business would have had severe consequences for local businesses supplying fuel, fertilizer and other goods. According to him, since deregulation in 2000, the number of dairy farms in Queensland has dropped from 1,500 to fewer than 220, and the refusal of major processors to accept farmers' milk is a warning sign for the entire regional industry.