Dairy Australia
The
Australian dairy industry is one of the country’s most important
food and export industries, valued at $3.2 billion in 2003/04. It is
the largest value-added food industry, which means taking raw materials
and adding value through a variety of processes, to create a range
of products, from pasteurised drinking milk to specialty cheeses and
dairy desserts. This ‘value-adding’ increases the $3.2
billion value that the farmers receive to $9 billion when sold to consumers
in supermarkets or in restaurants across Australia. With product exports
of around one million tonnes to more than 130 countries, the industry
generates $3 billion in export income.
The Australian dairy industry also involves about 100,000 people
through activities such as:
- farming (over 9,000 farms supporting or employing 50,000 people);
- services to farming (including veterinary, genetics, animal nutrition, milking machinery, seed and fertiliser, and fodder contracting – an estimated 10,000 people);
- manufacturing (including cheese, yogurt, ice-cream, butter, chocolate, powders, dairy and pharmaceutical ingredients – estimated at up to 30,000 people);
- transport (from on-farm milk pick-up to container shipping); and
- research (in areas such as agriculture, environment, human nutrition, manufacturing processes and food technology).
Dairy Australia is the industry’s peak body investing about $35 million of dairy farmer levy payments and $15 million of taxpayer funds into projects each year for the benefit of farmers, the dairy industry and the community. Their activities help the Australian dairy industry be innovative, sustainable and internationally competitive. They provide technical expertise and essential services across the whole dairy value chain, from pre-farm and farm activities, through manufacturing to educating consumers about the benefits of the end products.
For more information about Dairy Australia contact:
Address: |
Dairy Australia |
Telephone: |
61 3 9694 3777 |
Email: |
