In trouble with the dairy farmers from Shepp....

In yesterday's Age a letter I sent in was published....

Psst, Mr Thwaites: what about milk …

WATER Minister John Thwaites (Opinion, 23/1) takes a very Melbourne-centric view of the current water crisis. Our entire state, not just Melbourne, needs to radically rethink the way it uses water.
Mr Thwaites correctly points out that households must continue to cut their water use inside and out, including letting go of long-held traditions, such as water-thirsty gardens, which are no longer sustainable when our catchments don't receive sufficient inflows. But in the same way, irrigators must also take a hard look at their water use. It may even be time to give up long-held farming practices that are no longer viable.
The minister is right in saying that very little rice and even less cotton is grown in Victoria. But he fails to mention the dairy industry, which accounts for more than 40 per cent of Victoria's water use. And that most dairy product from northern Victoria is exported, taking our precious water with it.
The irrigation industry is far and away Victoria's biggest water user and it will have to make changes and stop draining our rivers dry if it is to have any chance of a sustainable future.

Cormo, Melbourne

Now I have to admit now that I didn't actually write it - I have a friend at Environment Victoria who wrote it and asked me to send it in. (Then the funny heading was added by a pretty humourous subby!) Unfortunately a good friend of mine is married to a girl whose parents run a dairy farm in Shepparton. And when they read my letter they were a little pissed off... Not all that surprising...evidently my name is now mud in the greater Shepparton area...

But what I have to say is that dairy farming is pretty water intensive - in 2004-05
the dairy farming industry used 5% more water than all the households in
Australia put together.

My friend however cam back with:

Yes dairy farming is water intensive but if we don't have milk we don't
have:
1. Kahula and milk
2. C*%k sucking cowboys
3. something to mix with milo
4. caramel milkshakes

And I must admit to being a massive milk fan in my primary and secondary school years.

So I'm torn between healthy rivers and the good people of the dairy industry and all the good things that come from cows - like milk, cheese and (sour) cream.

But the Dairy industry also made $2 billion in exports last year - maybe its time they put some money back into conserving one of our prescious resources in Australia - water.