Australian Dairy Plan

The Australian Dairy Plan is an industry-led plan to deliver increased profitability, confidence and unity across the Australian dairy industry.

The Australian Dairy Plan is a joint initiative of Australian Dairy Farmers, Australian Dairy Products Federation, Dairy Australia and the Gardiner Dairy Foundation. It was launched in September 2020 after 18 months of comprehensive consultation with the whole dairy supply chain, covering every dairying region of Australia. The Australian Dairy Plan aims to drive a significant turnaround in the industry’s outlook via a range of bold initiatives targeting increased profitability, confidence and unity over the next five years and beyond.

It is the first time key organisations representing the whole dairy supply chain have worked together to develop a national strategic plan, which has been informed by nationwide consultation involving over 1,500 participants. By increasing the profitability of dairy farms, implementation of the plan can increase Australia’s annual milk production by almost one billion litres, add $500 million of farm gate value for farmers and help create several thousand new jobs, mostly in rural and regional areas.

The Australian Dairy Plan commitments:

  1. We will reform industry structures to create a more cohesive dairy industry and strengthen our influence with key stakeholders.

  2. We will attract and support new people and investment to build our industry.

  3. We will increase our effort in marketing and promotion to build greater levels of trust and improve the value of dairy.

  4. We will intensify the focus on farm business skills to improve profitability and better manage risk.

  5. We will restore trust and transparency between farmers and processors to strengthen industry confidence.

In addition to the five commitments, the plan recognises the crucial contribution of key ongoing programs the industry needs to continue to do well to ensure sustainable long-term growth in research and innovation, policy leadership, market development, capability development, leadership and culture, and sustainability.