Parliament’s commerce select committee has begun the massive task of sifting through more than 1000 submissions on the Government’s review of the price of milk in New Zealand.

MAF officials expect it will take about four weeks to wade through the responses to the review of the Raw Milk Regulations.

The latest review was announced after dairy prices soared on the back of rising international commodity prices, caused a huge furore, and a fierce backlash from consumers and independent dairy processors.

MAF says submissions have come from Fonterra, farmer groups, investment companies, Maori organisations, speciality cheese makers, the US Dairy Export Council, individual farmers and the public.

Federated Farmers will recommend the committee finds Kiwis are not paying too much for their milk, compared with other countries.

In its submission the Dairy Workers Union argues that the benefit of co-operative farming must not be put at risk by a false understanding of the drivers of milk pricing.

National Secretary James Ritchie says the Union does not believe the price farmer shareholders receive for their milk is too high, rather it is wholesale and retail margins that are too high.

But the Union is also calling for a break.

Mr Ritchie says New Zealanders already support the dairy industry through infrastructure development, investment in bio-security, trade policy and environmental protection.

Surely this support deserves a price discount he says.