Dairy farmer to sell own milk

A dairy farmer on Queensland's Scenic Rim, west of the Gold Coast, is taking on the supermarket giants, by selling his milk directly to the public.

Greg Dennis has spent $1 million building a processing and bottling plant on his property at Tamrookum, south-west of Beaudesert.

He believes he can get a better price selling his milk directly as an independent operator.

"There's a different way to still function within the dairy industry - to not just be reliant on, or locked into, a contract with a major multi-million-dollar international company," he said.

He hopes to be operating by the end of the month.

"We're looking at bottling 6,000 litres a day - the facility does have the capability to do a larger volume than that," he said.

He says he has already found some local customers.

Mr Dennis admits it is a gamble but he is prepared to take it to get a fair price for his milk.

"From the outside looking in, there's no doubt it appears to be a big risk," he said.

"We are talking about a million-dollar investment in the installation of the processing equipment we're putting in - the new shed structure itself.

"From our side of the fence though, and doing the analysis on the decision that we have made, I feel quite comfortable and confident."

Source: ABC News, 1 May 2013