Dairy Australia: Championing the Australian Dairy Industry

Dairy Australia, based in Melbourne, Victoria, stands as a cornerstone of the Australian dairy sector. With regional offices spread across the country, the organization's mission is to bolster the sustainability and global competitiveness of Australian dairy products.

Financial Indicators

As a not-for-profit organization, Dairy Australia is primarily funded through levies collected from dairy farmers and supplemented by government support. The organization generates an annual revenue of approximately AUD 60 million, which is reinvested into initiatives such as research and development, farm productivity enhancement, and marketing efforts.

Important Events

An important upcoming event for Dairy Australia is the release of June milk production figures, expected to reach around 600 million liters, attributed to favorable seasonal conditions. The organization is also undergoing a leadership transition following the departure of David Nation. New candidates for the board of directors will be nominated at the forthcoming annual general meeting, ensuring diverse skill sets and perspectives.

Recent market data from NielsenIQ indicates a 0.7% rise in retail milk volumes and a 0.8% increase in total value to AUD 2.92 billion from February 2024 to February 2025. Dairy Australia is actively addressing challenges such as rising fuel and fertilizer prices through informational webinars for farmers.

Company Plans

Dairy Australia is focused on enhancing sustainability by reducing the environmental impact and optimizing resource efficiency within the dairy industry. Ongoing investments in research aim to advance dairy farming techniques and promote product development. Expanding market presence is a priority, with strategic plans to strengthen Australia's international reach amid evolving global market dynamics.

Despite a reduction in the number of farms from 4,163 in 2022/23 to 3,889 in 2023/24, Dairy Australia is working on projects like the Heat Tolerance Australian Breeding Value (HT ABV) to enhance cattle resilience to climate change. The organization also collaborates with federal and state authorities to support farmgate readiness against threats such as the H5 bird flu.

Dairy Australia is involved in the herd improvement industry through initiatives like DataGene, focusing on genetic evaluation and dairy herd improvement programs. The organization runs the Dairy Farm Monitor Project and DairyBase, supporting farms like Shade River Dairy in improving cost visibility and efficiency.

Dairy Australia has named Paul Roderick, Paul Bennett, and Hamish Reid as its nominated candidates for election to the organization's Board at the 2026 Annual General Meeting, which will be held in Melbourne, Victoria, on Friday, 27 November 2026. Members can vote at the meeting or in advance by proxy.

Furthermore, Dairy Australia's Picasso Cows program involves classroom projects to explore the journey of dairy products from farms to consumers, engaging over 150,000 Australian students since 2007.

The organization is also part of a five-year research program on clover-rich pastures, following results from Dairy Australia's HIGH2 farmlet trial, which suggests that commercial dairy systems could halve synthetic nitrogen applications while maintaining high dry-matter pasture biomass and fluid-milk output.

Dairy Australia is organizing the Herd '27 conference, where Stephanie Bullen will present her research on the factors that influence farmers' use of data in herd management.

In November 2026, Dairy Australia will undergo an organizational overhaul to integrate regional extension operations and combine trade, policy, and marketing functions. This restructuring, led by Chief Executive Dr. Matt Shaffer, aims to accelerate the adoption of research on farms and enhance the economic value farmers receive from levy-funded investments.

An organization noting the need for national food approval. Dairy Australia emphasizes that the Victorian gazette does not constitute national food approval and the application is still under assessment by FSANZ.

Dairy Australia's staff costs rise 9% amid restructure. Dairy Australia’s employee costs rose to A$25.5 million in the 2025-26 financial year. The increase is mostly due to termination benefits associated with the executive team restructure. The organization is reviewing its organizational structure, which may result in redundancies. Research, development, and extension accounted for 85% of expenditure.