Price of food hit hard by weather
EXTREME weather conditions in Queensland have affected the price of meat and the production of fruit and vegetables as consumers notice the pinch at supermarkets.
Queensland has endured years of drought and then rapid flooding and scorching heatwave, the horrendous weather events has taken a toll on the state’s farmers and consumers are noticing the impact in supermarkets.
While Coles and Woolworths have announced the wholesale cost of beef and lamb has risen, customers are also noticing less stock of some fruits and vegetables from heatwave conditions.
In a March quarter report from the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources it found recent intense heat, dry conditions and high water prices in January affected the production of berries, broccoli, cauliflower, celery and leafy vegetables.
“The extreme weather has been felt the hardest by our farmers and our farming communities,” a Coles spokesman said.
“It has meant some fruit and vegetables will be limited in supply over the coming weeks to months. There may also be minor cosmetic blemished on some of our fresh produce. We encourage our customers to purchase to help support the farmers.”
Meat and Livestock Australia chief marketing and communications officer Lisa Sharp said the recent weather event in northern Queensland had been “devastating and extremely tough”.
“While we don’t know the full extent of livestock losses yet – and may not know for many months – it is becoming clear from reports that losses in the affected regions have been severe,” she said.
“The overriding factor influencing and driving Australia’s cattle market and prices continues to be the extreme drought across many parts of Australia.”
She said the drought had meant a broad lack of grass for cattle, which meant farmers were digging deep in their pockets to pay for additional feed, or being forced to sell livestock underweight.
“These additional costs are trickling down the supply chain to domestic consumers,” Ms Sharp said.
Coles and Woolworths have both raised wholesale meat prices for beef and cattle to absorb the costs.
“Recently, we have seen increased cattle and lamb prices in Australia, due to a number of factors, including export demand, grain pricing and drought conditions,” a Coles spokesman said.
“As a result the wholesale cost of some red meat products have risen.
“Coles has sought to absorb some of this increased cost in order to continue providing customers value, however, the price of some products has been increased to reflect a portion of the higher sourcing costs.”
Meat at Billy’s butcher Peter Herman said prices had gone up slightly due to drought, and also due to the increase of the price of grain.
“With our side of things, in the retail side, we try to absorb as much as we can with prices,” he said. “It means lower margins for us but that’s our way of helping the farmers, and we explain to customers the best way to help farmers is to continue to buy meat.”
He said on a general scale the price increase is usually a couple of dollars more per kilogram, but said if customers wanted to save money they could buy other cuts of meat which was “a great way to try new foods”.
Salisbury mum Stephanie Mlady said she had “definitely” noticed the increase in costs on her weekly shopping trips.
“Particularly some of our household staples like cauliflower, zucchini, sweet potato, cabbage, strawberries and bananas,” she said.
“Due to the recent weather events too, meat prices have been higher, the increase means we are having some meat-free meals and coming up with alternatives that fit our budget.”
She said the lack of production for some vegetables meant her kids have been enjoying trying new things to eat.
THESE ADDITIONAL COSTS ARE TRICKLING DOWN THE SUPPLY CHAIN TO DOMESTIC CONSUMERS LISA SHARP