Desperate buffalo dairy farmer dumps milk after coronavirus crisis dries up artisan cheese market

April 2020, Australasia

A buffalo dairy farmer in Far North Queensland is dumping thousands of litres of quality creamy milk as his industry fights for survival.

Key points:

Demand for buffalo milk and meat has crashed due to COVID-19
Cheesemakers are also suffering from restaurant closures
Consumers are being asked to help by eating Australian-made buffalo products

Orders from restaurants, cafes and cheesemakers have all but dried up since strict measures were introduced to prevent the spread of COVID-19 — and the premium market for buffalo meat has also been evaporating.

Every three days Mr Humphries opens the valves on his vat and pours milk through his paddocks into an effluent trap at Millaa Millaa, because his cows still need to be milked and, legally, raw milk cannot be given away.

“It’s just devastating,” Mr Humphries says, who owns Australian Dairy Buffalo Company.

He has called on consumers to help by seeking out Australian-made buffalo cheese and meat at supermarkets.

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