Near the end of 2024, a backyard spring chicken in the Perth metro region was hard to buy. Hatcheries sold out of preferred breeds faster than tickets to AC/DC, leaving just Transylvanian naked necks for the desperate. Why? Egg shortages. If you can’t buy them, grow them. Chickens have the benefit of a small footprint, are cheap to buy, moderately cute and what they eat is chicken feed. But maybe it’s time to up the ante?
Issues surrounding milk production in Australia regularly hit the headlines - normally due to the price per litre set by the large milk processors being on the cusp of viability. By far the greatest volume of milk is produced on the East Coast, and they draw the most attention. But here in the West, we are not without our challenges.
Like all seasonal produce, matching supply with demand is the primary issue. Biological creatures are naturally attuned to responding to their environment. The afore-mentioned spring chickens lay when food and warmth is available. Likewise, cows pump out the most milk when spring pastures are at their peak and temperatures are mild. Come November to February, when conditions fade, WA supply drops by almost 8 million litres (or 25% of peak production) whilst milk demand remains fairly constant.
This presents a conundrum. For some time now, stored dairy products (such as cheese) have been imported into WA from the East, with almost all fresh milk being derived locally. When there is an excess of local fresh milk in spring, some can be diverted to production of stored dairy products. But what happens when there is not enough local fresh milk to go around in the summer months? The shortfall will need to come from over east as well – over 3000kms away. That’s a long milk run!
The coming year could be the tipping point. The WA month by month comparison of the year so far has shown production volumes down an average of 3.5%. If this continues, then February will be testing for local dairies. It will be also testing for those smaller niche stored dairy producers that rely on local production for their inputs – an issue that has been raised as one reason behind Mundella being placed in administration.
Will we see milk shortages come summertime like we saw with eggs? Will Perth residents be tempted to put the Hilux on the verge and buy a cow for the garage instead? Unlikely, but there may be some sharp elbows in the milk aisles of Perth supermarkets as the shelves get stocked.
