On the 2nd, Baek Jong-won appeared on the SBS entertainment program 'Delicious Rendezvous,' visiting a dairy farm and expressing concerns that the domestic dairy industry could collapse. Photo by SBS 'Delicious Rendezvous' broadcast capture
[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Min Jun-young] Culinary expert Baek Jong-won stated that domestic dairy farming is at risk of collapse due to the low birthrate.
On the 2nd, the SBS entertainment program 'Delicious Rendezvous' aired an episode featuring Baek Jong-won and Kim Hee-chul visiting a dairy farm in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province.
In the broadcast, a farmer who has been engaged in dairy farming for 30 years lamented, "Milk is not selling. Honestly, in the past, as long as we milked the cows, we didn't worry about selling it, but now, people are having fewer children."
He continued, "Also, there are many beverages that replace milk. The main consumers, students, prefer sweet chocolate milk or strawberry milk, which use imported reconstituted milk."
He added, "As consumption decreases, feed costs remain a burden for farmers. If milk sales continue to decline, the amount of milk must be reduced, which means forced culling is necessary. If culling continues, dairy farming itself will become impossible," expressing his concern.
Kim Hee-chul said, "This is a bigger problem than I thought. Children drank more milk than adults."
Hearing this, Baek Jong-won asked, "Have the facilities and environment become much more hygienic and better?" The farmer replied, "They have improved. Korean milk is the best in the world."
Baek Jong-won recalled, "In the past, some people didn't trust domestic milk and drank foreign milk. When I was young, my father would persuade me by saying, 'If you take a bath, I'll buy you milk.' After bathing, I would open a milk bottle and add salt to it. Drinking milk with salt was savory and delicious. Milk was that precious."
Finally, he said, "Even if a baby doesn't drink milk after birth, you have to milk the cow. If not handled properly, dairy farming could collapse, and we might have to import milk later," expressing his worries.
He added, "I will find ways to help milk sell well and promote it extensively."
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