What We Do



Dairy Australia invests the dairy service levy to deliver benefits to farmers and protect the right to farm. Delivering for Dairy logo

This includes:

  • Enhancing farm business management

  • Responding to critical events

  • Supporting employment needs

  • Driving herd and pasture innovation

  • Managing climate and environment

  • Marketing to promote dairy products and the industry

  • Growing international markets

  • Contributing to policy outcomes

  • Supporting the delivery of services.

We provide services to farmers in eight dairying regions across the country: DairyNSW, DairySA, DairyTas, GippsDairy, Murray Dairy, Subtropical Dairy, Western Dairy, and WestVic Dairy.

We deliver to dairy farmers in many different ways:

Enhancing farm business management 

We provide farmers with access to business planning and risk management tools, and insights to support on-farm decision making and improve profitability. 

Farmers on ipad

Responding to critical events

We provide farmers with timely information and tools to navigate events such as drought, floods, bushfires or COVID-19.

Farmers in conference

Our Farm, Our Plan

More than 250 farm businesses have adopted Our Farm, Our Plan, designed to help farmers identify long term goals, improve business performance and manage volatility. 

Supporting employment needs 

We create awareness of the career opportunities in dairy and providing resources to support farmers in hiring and managing staff and building skills for successful careers in dairy. 

Farmers talking at milk processing

Employment Starter Kit

Getting people started in the job has been made easier with the Employment Starter Kit (ESKi), which has reached 2000 dairy farmers.

Farmer on whiteboard

Dairy farm management

We support new entrants and existing workers to develop skills they need for a career in dairy farm management through partnerships with education providers – regional training organisations, University of Sydney, University of Tasmania, Marcus Oldham College and Agrifutures.  

Driving herd and pasture innovation

We deliver on-farm gains as a result of outcomes of research to improve genetics of pasture and cattle, and provides valuable data to inform farm business decision making. 

Checking grass

DairyBio

DairyBio supports the rapid delivery of innovation to farmers to start making changes on-farm for long-term benefits. DairyBio will produce additional value of $200 per cow per year in Australian dairy herds by 2040 through genetic improvement, which leads to improved lifespan, fewer emissions, and reduced health and management costs.  

Milk science

Dairy Feedbase

Along with Gardiner Dairy Foundation and Agriculture Victoria, we have committed $45 million over five years to Dairy Feedbase to improve management of the feedbase and herd nutrition, reducing the cost of feed and helping improve farm profitability. The project has the potential to see returns to the industry of $100 million a year in 10 years. 

Managing climate and environment 

We deliver initiatives for efficiency of major farm inputs such as water and energy and supporting action on-farm to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

Cows at sunset

Feed

We deliver innovation to change how pasture is measured and forecast to grow, how feed intake is better managed, and how cows are fed in early lactation that has flow-on benefits for the whole lactation. These are all core drivers of farm performance. 

Picking grass

C4Milk

Improving forage quality and balancing forages in the diet is essential for maintaining high levels of milk production. Farmers in varying climates benefit through the C4Milk project, which focuses on forage, nutrition and business management, to assist dairy farms to increase their margin over feed cost. 

Marketing to promote dairy products and the industry 

We build community trust and support for Australian dairy by promoting the health credentials of dairy, the quality of our products, and reinforcing our broader commitment to sustainability.  

Jonathan Brown on farm with cows in background

Dairy Matters

Building on community trust and support for dairy occurs through the Dairy Matters marketing campaign and the Discover Dairy schools platform, reaching 337,000 consumers each year. Communications highlights the industry’s commitment to health and nutrition, environment, animal care and producing quality Australian dairy. Trust (70%) and support for the Australian dairy industry (82%) are strong.  

Farmer picking grass

Sustainability

We support the establishment of the dairy industry’s Sustainability Framework, the resetting Australia’s world leading dairy sustainability goals and targets to 2030, and aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals working towards delivering on an agreed industry promise to deliver nutritious food for a healthier world, are key outcomes. 

Growing international markets

Improving market access while building and maintaining strong international trade relationships.

Ship with cargo

Improved market access

We provide critical support to industry and Government in the negotiation and implementation of trade deals has secured improved market access for Australian dairy products in key dairy export markets including China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia and Peru. 

Milk scientist

Dairy tariffs

We have contributed to the removal or significant reduction of most dairy tariffs for Australian dairy exports, such as the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which will see tariffs for Aussie dairy reduced for the first time in almost 50 years. The estimated dairy trade benefits of China Australia FTA to be more than A$1.2 billion over 25 years. 

Contributing to policy outcomes

We support policy development in areas of critical importance to the industry, particularly water security, climate changes, energy, animal health and welfare and workforce/labour access. 

Voting on policy

Calving induction

Developing policy research and technical advice to support the industry to set a complete phase out date for calving induction (1 Jan 2022) that will bring Australian dairy farming practice in line with global best practice. 

The river

Water resources

Providing policy research and support on reviews of the Murray Darling Basin Plan and other aspects of water markets, to gain greater certainty for farmers about their ongoing access to affordable water resources, is another key focus. Positive rules now in place to ensure that water cannot be recovered if it leads to negative socio-economic impacts to Basin communities. 

Farmer reading report on tablet

Performance Report

Find more on how Dairy Australia invests your levy in the latest Performance Report.

Download now


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