The decision by Murray Goulburn to slash milk payments to farmers has been condemned by dairy industry leaders, with the head of Bega Cheese saying it had eroded trust and damaged the wider dairy industry. Murray Goulburn, the nation's biggest dairy processor with about 2600 farmer suppliers, was fiercely criticised at an industry breakfast in Melbourne on Friday. Participating in a panel discussion with three other industry leaders, Bega Cheese executive chairman Barry Irvin said: "The damage to the industry goes across the industry."