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They put their faith in 20 brown-eyed jersey cows to changetheir 6th generation dairy farm’s future, and last night Tommerup’s Dairy Farm won the Australian Farmer of the Year Innovation Award!

“Five generations have milked cows on our beautiful farm, every single day in the same dairy for over 100 years. Giving that up wasn’t an option, no matter what the numbers said. It’s who we are.”

 

Twenty Jersey Cows.

 

That’s all it took for Kay and Dave Tommerup to take an enormous leap of faith and believe their farm in the Kerry Valley in Queensland’s Scenic Rim could stand alone as a place of extraordinary, independent produce and experiences. It was a big, big leap. 

 

Last night their courage and commitment was rewarded – from just three finalists in the Australian Farmer of the Year Awards Innovation category, they won! This made Kay and Dave’s hearts sing because without innovation, Tommerup’s Dairy Farm would probably be closed, and not the shining example of regenerative, sustainable farming with heart that it is today.

 

They put this faith, and their family’s future, in 20 beautiful, brown-eyed cows that produce the richest milk; milk where the cream floats to the top and sits there like a crown. It’s milk from which Kay makes hand-rolled butter infused with red gum smoked salt that’s demanded by top chefs, and spoken of in hushed tones across the country.

 

Over 80 glorious hectares, this sixth generation dairy farm has turned its back on mass-production, generic flavours and big-player supply chains. Instead, they mix innovative farm practices with old fashioned passion and a genuine love of the land and their animals, to create a rural haven, with the circle of life loved and respected every day. Overlay this with the courage to challenge bureaucracy, bullies and bankers, and theirs is a story to tell.

 

“The focus of everything we do and every experience we offer, is our dairy, our farm, and our desire to build a farm business that can be taken on by our children, and their children on this beautiful property that’s been farmed by Dave’s family since 1874,” said Kay who now sits on the Boards of eastAUSmilk and the Queensland Farmers Federation.

 

This is a dream that’s been abandoned by so many farming families across Australia, because it’s just so hard to realise. Not only are there extreme natural conditions to manage, there’s overly dominant supply chains, bureaucracy and big corporates that run the sector, as well as outdated laws and regulations. Through this and more, Tommerup’s Dairy Farm has survived.

 

“We’ve gone from a dairy farm being propped up by tourism dollars, to a dairy farm leveraging the benefits of agritourism to add higher value to our farm product and now we have a legacy for future generations,” said Kay.

 

It hasn’t been easy. Not at all.

 

Kay and Dave made the bold decision to leave milk processor Norco on 2 January 2021 after establishing their own Tommerup’s Jersey Girl line of boutique dairy products in 2019. They had been supplying Norco since 1984, when the company took over the former Logan and Albert Co-Op.

 

“Like so many others, our journey into agritourism came as a survival tactic for the farm. With three generations living on the family property, and Dave and I having just started our own family, dairy deregulation in 2000 came at us like a freight train. The dairy should have closed  – the numbers told us so. But numbers can’t beat passion, or respect for family and tradition,” said Kay.

 

“Five generations have milked cows on our beautiful farm, every single day in the same dairy for over 100 years. For Dave, giving up that tradition wasn’t an option, no matter what the numbers said. Dairy farming is not his job, it’s who he is, and it’s who our family is.”

 “Luckily, farmers are masters of taking something they have and moulding it into something they need.

 

There are few things that can’t be fixed with a bit of baling twine or fencing wire. Fixing this problem, however, was going to take more than twine.”

 

Dave said change wasn’t easy for him. “There are so many family traditions linked to everything I do. Leaving Norco was a difficult decision, but it was the right one. Most farmers are highly innovative, they have to be to survive. It’s a matter of whether they have the financial resources, knowledge and confidence to get where they want to be.”

 

Six long years after deregulation, Dave and Kay took over the family farm. It was at rock bottom. “All savings were gone; the maintenance and capital investment had been non-existent since deregulation. We not only had to find a new income stream to combat the ridiculously low milk prices, we had to rebuild,” she said.

 

“I wasn’t born in the region, so had relatively (!) new eyes and could see the beauty and uniqueness of life on our farm, often taken for granted by those who’ve only known this life. For many farmers, the idea that their daily life could be interesting to visitors is…  quite a stretch! When your confidence is diminished from years of being ‘just a farmer’ and at the bottom of the supply chain, it’s hard to realise that what you do has worth to others.”

 

In 2008 Kay and Dave opened the farm to a little camping, animal feeding tours, and school excursions.

 

“Scenic Rim Regional Council saw potential in our ideas and we joined their business development program. Our teacher was none other than the godmother of agritourism herself, Rose Wright. This changed our lives.”

 

Now Tommerup’s Farm has key strategic pillars – The Dairy, Farm Stays, Meat Sales and Farm Experiences – and they are passionate and highly focused about the future. Their farmstay includes The Cottage and The Homestead, both built in 1888 and steeped in family history and both booked well into the future with cancellations snapped up within hours. “In the eyes of our guests, our farm is their farm; it’s a genuine place to connect with the land and the farmers, to with where their food comes from, and to make lifelong memories.”

 

School group excursions are a particular passion of Kay’s. “We’re creating a connection that will shape their future opinions and consumer choices. And perhaps, they might just see something that draws them to a career in agriculture – bringing a new generation of enthusiastic, passionate people to our industry.”

 

During the recent drought, when another round of dairies shut down, Kay and Dave dug in, dropped their herd numbers to focus on quality, and launched their Jersey Girl brand. As Kay speaks about the milk, cream, butter, milk-fed pork and rose veal they produce, her eyes light up even more, because as a micro-dairy – they shouldn’t be surviving, but because of their passion, and support from chefs and customers, they are.

 

“We now process ALL of our own milk and cream within a micro, on-farm creamery – an investment funded by the success of our farm tourism. We separate the cream in our century-old dairy with an Alfa Laval separator of the same vintage. The skim milk is fed to our pigs, and the cream is processed into our award-winning artisan dairy products, including our handmade cultured butter and the long awaited Farmer Dave’s cream top jersey milk. Every part of the process is done by us, here. Our products are boutique, extraordinary, and command a premium price.”

 

There’s no wastage on the farm, and the animals are rotated around the farm to have a positive impact on the land itself, because the land is part of their family too.

 

“Whilst we do have a Farm Gate, most of our dairy, pork, and veal products are supplied to high end restaurants in Brisbane.  These chefs have become part of our family. They know us, our farm, and our ethics intimately. Our farm, our story and our produce, is respected and showcased across their menus.”

 

“It’s really important that we encourage other farmers who might be thinking, ‘we can’t keep doing this’, that we let them know there are other ways to do it,” she said. “When a higher value is placed on products coming from farmers choosing a regenerative journey, it allows more resources to be allocated to those regenerative practices and helps us to continue down that path.

 

“The whole story, from raising calves right through to working with chefs, schools, visionaries and the organisations creating policy for the future, means our role is more than producing products that taste great. We are moving the dial for the future.”

 

And then Dave said something that makes the penny drop.

 

“Without diversification, we wouldn’t have a legacy to pass on to our kids. They now want to be a part of our business, and the sense of pride this give me is indescribable. I know the history, the stories, the passion, the bloodlines and the farming craft will live on. The life will continue.”

 

Back to the twenty Jersey Cows.

They all have names - Martina, Brenda, Susie, Tali, Ruby, Sugarloaf, Friday, Rose, Muriel, Margie and more, and yes, they come when called. So do the veal calves who are named after chefs! There’s Gordon Ramsay (so named because of his strong personality), Jamie Oliver (he was a sweetie), Guy Grossi (it was the dark rim around his eyes that decided his name - those glasses!), Shannon Bennett (he had little white socks that reminded Kay of the sneakers Shannon wore on MasterChef), and Maggie Beer (there’s been two of her so far!), and local chefs of course star including Daniel Groenberg who headed the kitchens at Kooroomba and is now at the newly re-opened Roadvale Hotel, Simon Furley who is at The Paddock at Beechmont Estate and Wild Canary’s Glen Barratt – all champions of local produce.

 

AGRICULTURE OR TOURISM? “It shouldn’t be a choice,” Kay Tommerup

 

“I’ve long felt that as agritourism operators we float along almost in no man’s land – not fitting comfortably into mainstream tourism, and not sitting neatly in agriculture either.”

 

She said it was music to her ears that a national agritourism strategy is being launched.

 

“I’m very fortunate to live in a region that has embraced agritourism. Scenic Rim Eat Local Week, over the past decade, has lifted the profile and the confidence of so many farmers and producers in our region, and been the catalyst for countless ventures into this industry. Eat Local Week brings 40,000 visitors to our region, over $3million worth of publicity, and injects $2million into the economy.”

 

“On our own farm that equates to almost 3000 visitors and incredible product sales. As a region we support, encourage, and celebrate collaboration. We’re not competitors, we’re in this together.”

 

“As an industry, we need recognition from all levels of government that agritourism is farm diversification.”

 

“It’s farmers using their resources and skills to build resilience in the face of a changing landscape – environmental, climatic, social, and financial. It’s not a shift away from agriculture, rather a move to create a farm business that can withstand the challenges of the future.”

 

“Currently, to grow our agritourism business, we are forced to choose between farming and tourism. Agritourism isn’t a change of use, it’s a change of mindset. It’s a change in the way we promote and value our industry, our farm product and produce, and it’s time it was recognised that way.”

 

“For independent farmers to keep farming land for agricultural use, change is needed from all levels of government working together to achieve a set of guidelines that allow farmers the right to farm and to build a connection with their customers right there ON the farm.”

 

“Farmers MUST have a seat at the table for those discussions to create a meaningful reform process.”

 

“We live this, we know what we need to take our businesses to the next level, to keep farmers farming.  There are farmers with agritourism businesses across Australia waiting to hit the go button, to expand their offering but they are drowning under overbearing outdated regulatory frameworks that don’t recognise the needs of agriculture in a modern society.”

 

The Scenic Rim has become an incubator for farmers wanting to diversify into value-added farm businesses. The culture within the region, supported heavily by the Economic Development and Tourism team, encourages farmers moving in this direction and provides platforms such as Eat Local Month. The camaraderie between producers fosters innovation, collaboration, a sense of pride amongst our community. Let us keep moving forward.”

 

We now need recognition, at local and state level, that the current land use planning framework must be reviewed and refreshed to allow farmers to diversify and add value to their core farm business, without the need for a material change of use. Farmers moving into agritourism is a change of mindset, not a change of use.

 

Source and Photo credits: Kath Rose & Associates, Wilston Qld

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Dairy industry welcomes first new farmers in decades

STACEY Soley and Damien Ambrose made Tableland dairy history in August, when pushing against the stream of farmers exiting the industry, they chose to become the first people in decades to commence dairy farming in Far North Queensland.


The statistics tell the story – on 1 July, 2000, the day the industry was de-regulated, the Malanda Milk factory was servicing a total of 185 producers.

Closing down a dairy farm is no easy task, but extreme dissatisfaction with the new system spawned an average, annual exit rate from the industry of just under six and a half farmers per year every year since 2000.

Including the eight producers who supply Millaa Millaa and Mungalli Creek Dairy exclusively, a mere 45 farmers, or just 25 per cent of the original number, remain in the industry today.

But an amazing thing happened on 2 August this year – Stacey and Damien’s newly acquired herd of milking cows arrived at their 195ha Malanda lease block and with three solid months of rebuilding the dairy from scratch completed, Damien milked his first mob of cows.


“We had already spent around a million dollars re-building the bales and buying a milking herd, so luckily we were able to lease around two thirds of Stacey’s family farm from her father,” he said.

“Having to buy the land as well would have put the project out of reach for us financially. I bought a second-hand set of milking machines from a local farm, pulled them out and installed them in our shed.

“I have a 16 a side swing-over set up at the moment, but that will be extended to 23 head a side capacity by February.

“A lot of people thought sourcing a herd of milkers would be a problem, but Malcolm MacGregor, who was farming nearby, had just sold his dairy operation to the Pearce family and I was able to purchase a selection of 120 younger cows from his 180-strong herd.

“I have picked up a few little mobs of heifers from other farmers in the area and I am now milking 200 cows and have a total of 240 head.

“Getting a Milk Supply Agreement from Bega and Dairy Farmers was also much easier than I expected, it was basically issued on a phone call. Because they were short of milk, they seemed keen to encourage young people into the industry.

“They haven’t placed any restrictions on how much milk I can supply and they are actually paying production incentives on top of the increased price per litre.

“Bega offers a ‘New Milk’ bonus of $0.15/litre (around 20 per cent higher price) for any increase in volume over what a farm produced in the previous year, which is a big incentive to ramp up numbers and production,” Damien said.

But Damien and Stacey are not relying on milk money alone to fund their enterprise.

Damien generates a second income stream by running Wagyu bulls over around half of his Friesian herd and selling the cross-bred (F1) progeny.

“I paddock rear the Wagyu calves to about 200-250kg and then sell them on to my buyer on the Darling Downs, who backgrounds them and then puts them into his feedlot,” Damien said.


“He is a long-term Wagyu breeder, so I buy my bulls from him and eventually I want to take the F1’s through to 400kg here to maximise returns on the premium rate he pays.”


Stacey and Damien both grew up on dairy farms – Stacey at Malanda and Damien milking 100 head on their 243ha Jandowae block, in Queensland’s Western Downs cropping and grazing region.


Both of their fathers had made the decision to leave the industry, Mr Ambrose selling out around 14 years ago and Steve Soley con-verting to beef production six-seven years ago.


Both pursued other careers – Stacey qualified as a school teacher and has been teaching at Malanda High before going on maternity leave to have their little boy, Col, and Damien did his apprenticeship as an electrician after leaving school.


“For years I did a lot of fly-in, fly-out in gas projects located around Dalby, Roma and Darwin. I have always wanted to get back into farming and have had beef cattle, mainly Santa Gertrudis, all through my life,” Damien said.


“When little Colin came along, I didn’t want to work away anymore.


“My plan had always been to save enough money to buy a property and the Tablelands was perfect because I met Stacey up here and its climate and pastures make it an easy place to farm.

“We bought a 68ha block near Malanda, just before the big property price rises and we have been running our beef cattle there.


Stacey is a fourth-generation dairy farmer and loved her family farm. It took a while to convince her Dad to reduce his beef herd and lease the couple some country.

“But once we worked out a deal, I got stuck into refurbishing waters and fences and building a new calf-rearing shed for the re-placement heifers,” he said.

Just four pay cheques into their new venture, Damien believes dairy farming not only provides a constant, predictable cash flow, but it is several times more profitable than what a regular beef property would be.

“There is still heaps of infrastructure work to be done, laneways and upgrading laneways and I want to do more fertilising, mulching and pasture rotation to lift the quality of the grasses,” Damien said.

“I don’t know much about irrigation, but with two centre pivots not working, I guess I am about to find out.


“We were very lucky with our timing. We had already committed to becoming dairy farmers when Bega announced a lift in the milk price that has made that decision even more rewarding.

“Milking cows is not the struggle it was – you can actually make a bit of money now if you manage your expenditure carefully. We had a couple of good farmers who have mentored us through the entry process, answering all our questions and making us feel welcome.” Damien said.

Damien said they planned to be in the industry for the long term. He actually likes milking cows, which is just as well, as he has only had two days off in the last four-and-a-half months and that isn’t likely to change any time soon.

Source: Sally Turley, The Express Newspaper (credit for both article and photo)

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GWS Giants rookie Jason Gillbee’s wild milk reveal is completely nuts

GWS Giants rookie Jason Gillbee may have just revealed he has one of the weirdest quirks in professional sport that will have the club’s dietitians in the foetal position.

 

Originally from the NSW country town of Balranald around 850km west of Sydney, Gillbee relocated to Bendigo in Victoria three years ago.

 

It was there he starred for the Bendigo Pioneers in the NAB League.

 

And after he ranked equal first in the 2km time trial at the AFL Draft Combine, Gillbee was pre-drafted by the Giants as a category B rookie ahead of the rookie draft.

 

But the move three years ago seemed to coincide with his bizarre decision to replace all his water intake with milk — yes you read that right.

 

Revealed by AFL Media reporter Riley Beveridge who spent a week around the Giants’ pre-season, Gillbee shared the revelation as part of a Monday ritual where one player has to bring three items that are important to them.

 

Gillbee was reported as saying: “Mel (the club’s dietitian) wasn’t happy when she found out”.

 

While it seems a no-brainer than Gillbee is sponsored by a milk company sooner rather than later, he shared his unique hydration method on social media.

 

Commentators may already be licking their lips to regurgitate this fact, but it hasn’t necessarily endeared him to his teammates.

 

Writing under the Giants’ Instagram post, Gillbee joked: “Dad taught me to drink from the glass but we didn’t have any”.

 

No. 22 Draft pick Pick 22 Max Gruzewski added: “Trust me this gets annoying at home”.

 

Former Giant Tommy Sheridan also posted: “This bloke looks like a unit!”

 

It’s been speculated that Gillbee does it to put on some muscle mass and weight as he is listed at 191cm and 76kg, but it may not save him from any unfortunate injuries.

 

A 1997 Harvard University study on over 77,000 nurses who were followed for 10 years “found no significant difference in the numbers of arm or hip fractures between those who drank one glass of milk a week or less and those who drank two or more.”

 

The result was similar when performed in a study of 330,000 male health professionals.

 

A New Zealand study from 2015 which reviewed, combined and reanalysed 15 randomised control studies into calcium intake, including by drinking milk, showed there was a two year increase in bone mineral density but that after the two years, the increase stopped.

 

However, when it comes to adding weight and muscle, a 2008 study found “fat free milk is as effective as, and possibly even more effective than, commercially available sports drinks at promoting recovery from strength and endurance exercise”.

 

So maybe the kid is onto something …

 

Source: Staff Writers from News.com.au, 1 February 2023

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Lockyer Valley milk back on shelves after floods

The timing of South East Queensland’s February 2022 floods couldn’t have been worse for Glenore Grove third-generation dairy farmer Luke Stock.

 

“When it started raining, I was 800 kilometres away in Bellingen doing some industry related stuff, so I was on the phone to dad trying to get as much of our infrastructure back up on the ridge and out of floodwater,” he said.

 

“We got 600 millimetres of rain in two days, floodwaters inundated three quarters of the farm, and we essentially became an island here.”

As the floodwaters receded, the devastating damage was revealed.

 

“All our fences got washed away, we had to rebuild all of our cow laneways and driveway,” he said.

Having faced years of severe weather events, the family naturally sprang into action to mitigate the damage.

 

“We’ve seen this all before and we’ve got a routine, we know what to do, but it’s never a nice feeling to see those waters rise,” he said.

 

“Our main priority is our animals and to make sure they’re fed, so we try to build resilience and do a lot of risk management from a flooding point of view.”

 

The Stock family’s operation usually produces around 600,00 litres of milk annually, but the flooding event put a pause on production.

 

“To get the cows back onto the farm it took us 20 days, but to be honest full production really takes anywhere from four to six months, it just knocks the animals around so much,” he said.

 

Strengthening ties with QRIDA

 

Luke knew he would need financial assistance to recover from the economic blow, so he was relieved when he discovered Extraordinary Disaster Assistance Recovery Grants of up to $75,000 were available for eligible primary producers from the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA).

 

“QRIDA’s South East Queensland Regional Area Manager Brian Coe attended industry workshops, so I received the full scope of what was available,” he said.

 

“We received the initial grant of $15,000 and straight off the bat, we used that to purchase hay,” he said.

 

“With the subsequent application of $48,000, we’ve totally rebuilt all of our cow laneways and we’ve done full repairs to all of our driveway and roads so we can have good access to milk tankers daily.”

 

QRIDA Natural Disasters and Drought Manager Sheree Finney explained the grant was designed to stimulate cashflow and deliver a smooth recovery process for all eligible impacted primary producers.

 

“You might need to pay deposits on a fence contractor coming out to do work, or that little cash boost to help things start, and we recognise that which is one of the reasons to have this initial application and then a subsequent application,” she said.

 

“The subsequent application is anything on top of that $15,000, up to the total $75,000.

 

“You make another application, it’s a similar process and sometimes easier as we know what the story is, you just show us how you spent that initial money and evidence of payment, such as receipts, to show support of work completed.”

 

No room for complacency this disaster season

 

Almost a year on, the Stock Farm is back to business as usual.

 

“We’ve been 30 per cent down month-on-month in production, and it’s really only probably the last six to eight weeks we’ve started to get back to where we were prior to the floods,” he said.

 

Now Luke is focussing on building greater flood resilience on his farm.

 

“If you go back to 2015 and 2016, there was a lot more cultivation, we worked a lot more ground, but in the last four to five years, we’ve gone to a lot more permanent pasture from a flood point of view, so it’ll just be about doing more of that,” he said.

 

In the event of another disaster, Luke recommends all primary producers be on the front foot.

 

“I would encourage farmers to be on the lookout for whatever assistance is available from QRIDA and if you look at our situation, it’s been nothing but positive,” he said.

 

Ms Finney also urged primary producers to get prepared for the next disaster now.

 

“Keep your eye on the weather and take photos of your property and infrastructure before and after damage,” she said.

 

“After things calm down a little bit, keep an eye on QRIDA because anything we have available will be there. You can also call us on 1800 623 946 to receive answers to any questions you have.”

 

QRIDA administers financial assistance to disaster affected primary producers, businesses, and non-profit organisations under the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

 

Media Release courtesy of Amy Buckingham, QRIDA

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Safeguard food security

IT IS time to consider food security in Australia and abroad.

 

War in Ukraine, inflation and rising costs of production and goods, floods and supply chain constraints make us ask an important question - are people able to access the food they need to live a healthy life?

 

During the coming months, the Australian House of Representatives Standing Committee on Agriculture will be seeking to answer this question in its Inquiry into Food Security.

 

On December 9, Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) made a comprehensive submission highlighting the important role dairy plays in food consumption.

 

The submission identifies various actions to ensure this continues long into the future.

 

Food security: the challenge in a growing world

 

Feeding a world population of more than nine billion people in 2050 will require raising overall food production by some 70 per cent between 2005 and 2050.

 

In its own right this is a significant challenge.

 

Yet when we consider the United Nations definition of food security, we are not just talking about the volume of food consumed, but whether that volume is consistent with nutritional requirements.

 

Growing dairy and agriculture is the only way the global food security challenge can be met.

 

Strong dairy and food security go hand-in-hand

 

ADF is concerned about the growth trajectory of the dairy industry.

 

Our sector has experienced declining milk volumes since deregulation in 2000.

 

This is due to a range of factors, including - but not limited to - a lack of productivity growth, a decline in export market share, social license challenges, changes in consumer preferences and production systems and climate change.

 

“Initiatives to increase the profitability and sustainability of the Australian dairy industry will improve food security in Australia and abroad” - Craig Hough

 

The Australian Dairy Plan and its supporting programs and initiatives is the industry's blueprint for addressing these challenges and making dairy more profitable and sustainable into the future.

 

The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend consumption of at least two to three serves of dairy foods per person every day.

 

Unfortunately, Australians and the rest of the world are consuming much less than the recommended amount.

 

This is contributing to rising adverse health conditions like osteoporosis.

 

We often consider Australia as a food secure nation because we export about 70 per cent of agricultural production and import around 11pc of our food.

 

However, when applying the broader definition of food security - achieving dietary requirements, the nation falls short.

 

Actions to safeguard food security, sustainability

 

Our submission recommends government take action on the demand and supply sides of industry to help resolve our problem.

 

On the demand side, we suggest that adequate dairy servings are included in the mandatory dietary standards for aged care - which are being developed.

 

We also suggested the government support industry's initiatives to increase Australia's consumption of dairy foods more broadly.

 

Dairy Australia's Dairy Matters campaign, an initiative that delivers on a commitment in the Australian Dairy Plan, promotes dairy's contribution to jobs, regions and bone and nutritional health.

 

These types of initiatives are critical for helping people understand the importance of dairy to them and their family.

 

Our submission also called on the government to address the misuse of dairy terms on food labels and to deliver accurate and truthful product labelling for consumers.

 

We also want to see action to ensure domestic trade is free and fair.

 

This would include addressing the imbalance between dairy suppliers and retailers, which has seen retailers misuse their market power.

 

A move to strengthen the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 would strengthen food security.

 

Free and fair global trade in agricultural products would improve food security too.

 

So, a serious commitment by the government to reduce non-tariff barriers (NTB) via the G20 is needed to make this happen.

 

Reducing food loss and food waste is important to strengthening food security.

 

That is because about one-third of all the food produced for human consumption is wasted.

 

The Australian Dairy Products Federation (ADPF) and Dairy Australia are partnering with Stop Food Waste Australia to develop a Dairy Sector Food Waste Action Plan to reduce food waste across the dairy supply chain.

 

We would like the Australian government to co-fund its implementation with industry.

 

Our submission outlines ways the government can support an increase in dairy farm productivity while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supplying climate adaptation measures.

 

Our industry also needs support to resolve labour shortages, secure water supply and maintaining a biosecurity system that is able to respond to the growing risks of pests and diseases trying to enter our shores.

 

All of these priorities will help Australia meet its global dairy food security challenge.

 

Source: Craig Hough - ADF, Farmonline National, 5 January 2023

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Dairy Australia figures show China’s appetite for Australian milk, cheese

More than a third of all Australian dairy shipped abroad last financial year ended up on Chinese supermarket shelves.

 

New figures from Dairy Australia confirmed 36 per cent of all exported dairy was destined for China in 2021-22, whether it was cheese to Chengdu, butter to Beijing or milk to Macau.

 

The new data comes as Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong met with her Chinese counterpart Wang Li, the first such ministerial meeting since 2019.

 

Greater China tops the league table for the 2021-22 financial year, with 303,397 tonnes exported during the 12 month period.

 

Singapore was the silver medallist, taking in about a quarter of China’s tally, on 80,869 tonnes while Japan took out bronze on 69,963 tonnes.

 

Dairy Australia trade and industry strategy manager Charles McElhone said unlike some other sectors, Australian dairy had maintained a presence in Chinese retail and hospitality over the past two years.

 

Substantial tariffs on barley, seafood and wine were implemented by the Xi Jingping regime in 2020 after a diplomatic freeze with the Morrison Government.

 

“Our trade with China has been quite stable and demand for dairy remains strong,” Mr McElhone said.

 

“There are some challenges moving forward with regards to shutdowns and consumption within China as a result of domestic policies. However, there’s greater recognition in China of the role of dairy in the diet which is promising.”

 

Rounding off the top 10 included Malaysia on 63,600 tonnes, Indonesia in fifth place with 59,147 tonnes, the Philippines on 43,313, Thailand on 31,118, Vietnam on 30,325, New Zealand on 22,922 and Taiwan on 22,666 tonnes.

 

The Greater China figure includes Hong Kong and Macau, former British and Portuguese colonies respectively, which have enjoyed a degree of self-governance in the past two decades until Beijing subsumed control over the cities in recent years.

Source: Alex Sinnott, The Weekly Times, 21 December 2022

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Paul van Heerwaarden appointed to Dairy Australia board

The outgoing chief executive officer of Bega Group Paul van Heerwaarden has been appointed to the Dairy Australia board.

 

Dairy Australia said he was appointed after a thorough search and interview process.

 

Mr van Heerwaarden joining the skills-based board as a non-executive director with dairy supply chain and product promotion experience.

 

Mr van Heerwaarden has been with Bega Group for more than a decade and has been in the CEO role for nearly six years.

 

His retirement from Bega was announced in October.

 

Dairy Australia's board selection committee chair Tania Luckin said: "Paul will bring significant business expertise including sales, marketing and a deep understanding of future trends and issues that could impact on the sustainability and profitability of the dairy industry.

 

"Along with a strategic mindset he has a breadth and depth of experience in dairy and across agriculture more broadly having held a number of executive roles. This experience will assist Dairy Australia to continue to deliver for farmers and the dairy industry."

 

READ MORE: Dairy Australia digs into reserves as levy income declines

 

A board vacancy became available due to the resignation of Russell Abotomey.

 

Mr van Heerwaarden is appointed until November 2023 with the opportunity to seek a further three-year term at the 2023 AGM.

 

More information on the director election process is available on the Dairy Australia website.

 

Source: Carlene Dowie, Farmonline National, 19 December 2022

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Australian dairy consumption down but profitability rises

Australian households are paying more for dairy but they’re buying less milk, butter, yoghurt and cheese.

 

New Dairy Australia data shows consumers are reacting to higher costs of living, particularly for food, by changing where and how they spend their money.

 

Consumer research commissioned by Dairy Australia and undertaken by NielsenIQ found 29 per cent of Australian households had stopped buying certain categories of food altogether, as inflation concerns bite consumer confidence.

 

However, Dairy Australia analysis manager John Droppert said that trend was not significant for dairy sales, although shoppers were increasingly opting for generic over branded dairy produce.

 

In the surveyed 12-month period to October 9, sales volumes declined for long-life milk (-2.7 per cent), butter (-1.2 per cent) and cheese (-2.3 per cent).

 

However, sales increased for fresh milk (0.3 per cent) and yoghurt (0.9 per cent) in the same survey period.

 

“The pandemic years (of 2020-21) changed the way Australians purchase dairy,” Mr Droppert said. “For some shoppers, they’ve kept those habits. Particularly for people who now predominantly work from home, they’re obviously buying less dairy in cafes and restaurants and buying larger volumes to consume at home.”

 

The Nielsen research found that with inflation concerns at the forefront of consumers’ minds, many Australians were opting to work from home more to save on travel and hospitality expenses.

 

Mr Droppert said generic dairy produce was likely to remain popular into the new year.

 

“We find that when people are concerned about the cost of living, they tend to buy more generic produce and that includes generic dairy,” he said.

 

“But they still will buy some branded produce as a treat, or more sparingly.”

 

Source: Alex Sinnott, The Weekly Times, 14 December 2022

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