DAIRY farmers in Queensland have been hit from every direction in the past couple of years - floods that have wiped out infrastructure and supermarket cut-throat pricing policies among them - but their biggest threat could still be to come, according to Millmerran operator Wes Judd.
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Wes is the former president of the Queensland Dairyfarmers Organisation and a respected producer in his field.
He says his organisation's biggest issue is with the cost of electricity.
"We are fairly large consumers - we need compressors for milking, electricity for storage and refrigeration, plus irrigation," he said.
"The changes in electricity prices are significant and impossible to pass on."
Wes is typical of many in his industry - his Riverton property suffered four floods well above record levels in two years, which he says "has given us some challenges".
After suffering extreme infrastructure losses to his dairy, sheds, silos and machinery in December 2011, this year's heavy storm rain tore away tonnes of topsoil and reduced his planting to a small oats crop planted out in March.
"We are struggling for feed now," he said.
"Our feed at the moment is less than we've had through some droughts."
He sees that is an obstacle that can be overcome, but he's not sure how operators like him can deal with rising energy prices and remain competitive, with a viable business.
"The (former) prime minister said she would compensate the community so that we could pass costs on - that's just a nonsense.
"To not understand the impact on the market of something like that I find disturbing."
He described it as policy put together on the run, and found it insulting to be continually told to make savings.
"There have been a lot of changes in farming that have lessened inputs," he said.
"We've changed our refrigeration system and made changes to our irrigation system.
"We've changed farming practices over the past 10 years, from a fuel point of view, but you can't do it overnight and you can't do it if the money you've put away for capital expenditure is being spent on taxes."
Wes says the Federal Government's energy taxes have tried to bring about community change without giving them an understanding of it.
"If it's just about being hit in the pocket, you don't get any buy-in," he said.
"If consumers wear the tax and don't change their habits, it's achieved nothing."
