Dairy Farmer Temporarily Closed School, Raw Milk for School Lunch is Used for Processing, Facing Revenue Reduction March 13 14:23

Dairy farmers in Hiroshima Prefecture are also facing a decline in income because schools are closed temporarily due to the spread of the new coronavirus, and raw milk, which is the raw material for milk for lunch, is being used for processing at low transaction prices. You.

According to the Hiroshima Dairy Agriculture Cooperative, the prefecture produces 118 tons of raw milk a day, of which about 40% was shipped as raw material for milk for school lunches.

However, the temporary closure of schools has led to the loss of consumption of milk for school lunches, and raw milk is being used for processing butter and cheese, which are cheaper to trade.

The Yasasedaira ranch in Miyoshi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, which breeds 150 dairy cows, produces about 3,700 kilograms of raw milk a day, but the shipping price drops by about 3 yen per kilogram, and about 350,000 yen per month. Is expected to decrease.

Dairy cows are not able to adjust their production every day because they are sick without milking, which means that transportation costs to the processing facilities in Kumamoto Prefecture are also burdened.

According to Hiroaki Onsenkawa of Yasuseira Ranch, "I don't think it's going to happen like this, and honestly I have to endure it. I want you to drink some milk at home."

Meanwhile, the government's second emergency response, decided on March 10, included support for the reduced revenues associated with turning raw milk for processing and transportation costs to processing facilities.

Mr. Onsenkawa said, "I am grateful for this kind of response, but I would like the whole country to work on the situation as soon as possible."