During a media conference today on a dairy farm in his New England electorate, Mr Joyce announced a new support package for dairy farmers hit by the recent late season downgrades to farm gate prices.

But he called on the retailers to “do the right thing” and stop selling milk at $1 per litre because “all Australians say it’s just garbage to have milk that cheap”.

Mr Joyce congratulated Coles for introducing an initiative to support impacted producers by establishing a 20c per litre milk fund, saying unlike others he was not cynical about the food giant’s move.

But the Agriculture and water resources Minister said in Victoria last week - during talks with dairy farmers and industry members contending with the pricing crisis - not one person had asked him for a 50c milk levy.

Mr Joyce said others had also asked him “please” don’t re-regulate the dairy industry in response to the controversy that started when Murray Goulburn cut farm gate price returns to contracted milk suppliers in late April.

While praising Coles, he also called on other retailers to “put their shoulder to the wheel”.

“It is an absurdity that we have $1 a litre milk and we have water that’s dearer,” he said.

Mr Joyce said dairy farming was a challenging production task compared to simply “putting water in a bottle”.

“Water’s got to be cheaper than milk for goodness sake,” he said.

“Let’s do the right thing so we can keep good honest decent people like this on the farm because that is good for them, it is good for us and it is good for our country.”

Mr Joyce said allowing consumers to see milk priced cheaper than water on supermarket shelves was also an “insult” to dairy farmers.

He said the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission would be monitoring the impacts of late season price cuts on dairy farmers due to Murray Goulburn and Fonterra.

The Coalition government has also introduced an Agricultural Enforcement and Engagement Unit and dedicated Agricultural Commissioner Mick Keogh to investigate any market power abuses and unconscionable conduct.

Appearing on a US television talk-show overnight, Johnny Depp sparked another chapter in his ongoing public relations war, against the Nationals leader, over the biosecurity breach that his wife Amber Heard recently faced court over, in Queensland.

Discussing the short video the pair made as part of the settlement for pleading guilty to the biosecurity breaches linked to their pet dogs Boo and Pistol entering the country illegally last year, Mr Depp criticised Mr Joyce’s physical appearance.

“He looks somehow inbred with a tomato - it’s not a criticism,” he said.

“I was a little worried - he just might explode.”

Asked which vegetable he’d rather be compared to at this morning’s media conference, Mr Joyce said “something sleek and sensitive, just like me”.

But he also said he was turning into Johnny Depp’s “Hannibal Lecter”.

“I’m inside his head, I’m pulling little strings and pulling little levers and long after I’ve forgotten about Mr Depp he’s remembering me, so just keep on advertising me Johnny,” he said.

But Mr Joyce said the Australian people believed the government had done the right thing over the controversy in protecting national biosecurity controls.

He said in country towns or Martin Place in Sydney, whether people liked him or not, they had told him they believed he acted correctly in pushing the illegal importation charges over the actor’s pets, saying, “you can’t have rabies coming into this country”.

Australian Dairy Farmers has said it does not support a 50 cent levy which could be an appropriate solution for milk production regions focussed on exports but would have a negative impact on domestic focussed markets.

 ADF CEO Ben Stapley said it was important to have a sustainable milk price and selling it for $1 a litre was unsustainable.

“We are encouraging all retailers to have a sustainable milk price and whether that’s $1 a litre or whatever it’s just important that at each stage along the supply chain we can make sure real value is not being taken out of the supply chain,” he said.

“And $1 a litre milk at the end of the day is not sustainable.”