Butter matters [Danish Lurpak on board]

[Melburnian1]

There have been two letters in consecutive weeks in 'The Age' and 'Sydney Morning Herald' travel sections re how QF serves foreign (Danish Lurpak) butter in its lounges or onboard:

Traveller Letters | September 14, 2013

I am not a protectionist but given that the Australian dairy industry is unsubsidised and the Danish one (plus elsewhere in Europe) is heavily supported by the EU, isn't it about time QF bought its butter portions from an Australian or NZ manufacturer such as Murray Goulburn or Fonterra?

I have a sneaking suspicion that VA may also use Lurpak butter on its flights, but cannot definitively recall.

 

[Simo]

Another thread for you to bash QF...

 

[bass_ke]

Lets have them use nuttelex, butter problem solved

 

[Melburnian1]

Another thread for you to bash QF...

Simo, if you actually read what I said, I also referred to how VA may use foreign butter.

And by the way, it's not me 'bashing QF.' It's two letter writers in consecutive editions of the most popular newspaper and online travel sections of any Australian (combined) media outlets.

Together, 'The Age' and 'SMH' would have a readership and online viewership of many, many times AFF.

 

[Must...Fly!]

It seems like some bitter old coot (or dairy farmer) who is just picking a problem for no particular reason, surely people have better things to do than write to The Age about butter on an aircraft....

FWIW ex-PER QF serve Harvey Fresh milk on-board during breakfast services - a family owned WA dairy.

 

[TonyHancock]

There have been two letters in consecutive weeks in 'The Age' and 'Sydney Morning Herald' travel sections re how QF serves foreign (Danish Lurpak) butter in its lounges or onboard:

Traveller Letters | September 14, 2013

I am not a protectionist but given that the Australian dairy industry is unsubsidised and the Danish one (plus elsewhere in Europe) is heavily supported by the EU, isn't it about time QF bought its butter portions from an Australian or NZ manufacturer such as Murray Goulburn or Fonterra?

I have a sneaking suspicion that VA may also use Lurpak butter on its flights, but cannot definitively recall.

Can you believe they serve French Champagne in the First Class Lounge? What is wrong with Somerton Brut Reserve Cuvée?*

The single malts served in First and Business seem a bit on the Scottish side too.

Don't get me started on the in flight entertainment it predominantly seems to be American made films. Surely this could just be Australian content? It can't be that difficult to source all of the IFE content from Australia could it.*


*This is a rhetorical question so please don't post your answers here or PM them to me.

 

[burmans]

It seems like some bitter old coot (or dairy farmer) who is just picking a problem for no particular reason, surely people have better things to do than write to The Age about butter on an aircraft....

FWIW ex-PER QF serve Harvey Fresh milk on-board during breakfast services - a family owned WA dairy.

Some people just like complaining, but isnt complaining about them just perpetuating the problem?

 

[Must...Fly!]

Can you believe they serve French Champagne in the First Class Lounge? What is wrong with Somerton Brut Reserve Cuvée?*

The single malts served in First and Business seem a bit on the Scottish side too.

Don't get me started on the in flight entertainment it predominantly seems to be American made films. Surely this could just be Australian content? It can't be that difficult to source all of the IFE content from Australia could it.*

Katter's Australia Party - AFF branch

 

[mannej]

I can't believe we are talking about butter...

 

[Ewing]

Lurpak is delicious.

That is all I will say.

 

[markis10]

I can't believe we are talking about butter...

Your view might be influenced by the time you lived on the land, hardly a new subject:

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....australian-produce-lounge-catering-26552.html

 

[medhead]

Surely this thread belongs in the playground?

The single malts served in First and Business seem a bit on the Scottish side too.

If you believe the QF in flight magazine Tasmania is producing some decent whiskey.

I can't believe we are talking about butter...

Can't believe it's not [Australian] butter.....

 

[mannej]

Your view might be influenced by the time you lived on the land, hardly a new subject:

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....australian-produce-lounge-catering-26552.html

The first two responses to that thread really hit the nail on the head...

 

[Simo]

Surely this thread belongs in the playground?



If you believe the QF in flight magazine Tasmania is producing some decent whiskey.



Can't believe it's not [Australian] butter.....

there is whiskey distiller near Devonport.

I think it is in a town called Penguin.

I could be wrong if so it is near Penguin.

 

[markis10]

The first two responses to that thread really hit the nail on the head...

Of course the fact that Australian diary is majority foreign owned makes the argument for somewhat redundant anyway, ie Parmalat and in the news this week, Fonterra-CIC
[h=1][/h]

 

[medhead]

Of course the fact that Australian diary is majority foreign owned makes the argument for somewhat redundant anyway, ie Parmalat and in the news this week, Fonterra-CIC

The Warrnambul mob still independent?

 

[Melburnian1]

The Australian dairy industry is the second most competitive in the world (after NZ). It is a major export from Victoria, Tasmania and New Zealand - and regarded as of very high quality.

I'm not suggesting QF or VA should stock Australian malt whiskies - why - because other nations clearly do a better job.

However, with butter, anyone who doubts what an important subject this is should ask our Kiwi cousins how they suffered in an economic sense after the UK shut down imports in about 1973 (testing my memory).

I have no doubt both QF and VA purchase from a lot of local suppliers: my point simply is that butter is a noticeable item on the menu and it's particularly galling to see local companies buying it from the European Union heaviliy subsidised farming community when our own farmers do not receive anything near that level of government assistance (and I'm not suggesting they should: far better to excel unsubsidised).

The cynics clearly have little affinity with the 20 per cent of Australians who live outside our capital cities. Whatever the cynics think on AFF, these letters in the newspaper travel sections will be read by far more Australians than the relatively small AFF community; a lot of the readers of 'The Age' and 'SMH' travel section would agree with those letter writers, who have as much right to express their opinion as the AFF cynics.

'Foreign ownership' does not make the debate 'somewhat redundant', because much of the income still accrues to our men and women on the land.

Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Co. is subject to a takeover offer (not yet accepted) from Bega Cheese, but W'bool is still locally owned (and very successful), like Bulla Ice Cream up the road in Colac. Fonterras is a NZ entity with significant interests in Australia. When Parlamat and Kirin bought into the dairy industry, they paid largely Australian owners who can invest the money in other ventures if they choose.

A little more sympathy for our hardworking country cousins, please.

 

[Simo]

Here is a web link for a Whiskey Distillery in Aust.

Hellyers Road Distillery

Instead of just focusing on one product that is foreign made let's change all the menus to Aussie made and produced products and also Aussie owned only.

 

[markis10]

. It is a major export from Victoria, Tasmania and New Zealand

Major Export, with butter accounting for $8M? Please start putting sources to your hyperbole!

http://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/~/...de/Dairy markets/Export Summary July 2013.pdf

By comparison Wine was 2% of our exports in 2009, yet accounts for $1.85B

Winebiz | Wine Industry Statistics - Wine Exports

I think you will find most of the diary exports is essentially Baby formula heading to China.

 

[medhead]

The Australian dairy industry is the second most competitive in the world (after NZ). It is a major export from Victoria, Tasmania and New Zealand - and regarded as of very high quality.

I'm not suggesting QF or VA should stock Australian malt whiskies - why - because other nations clearly do a better job.

Do other nations really do a better job that Australian distilleries? What is the basis of that claim?

Having had australian butter, lupak and el presidente from France. If we apply the "doing a better job" test, then Australian butter has no place in flight. Other nations clearly make better butter than Australia and therefore should be used.