Structure of the South Australian Dairy Industry

South Australia has a thriving dairy industry consisting of just under 400 farmers producing 671 million litres of milk a year. This is approximately 7% of the nation's production. The state is well known for its high quality milk, productive pasture based farming systems and progressive farmers.  There are approximately 110,000 cows being milked in the state, with an average per cow production of just over 6000 litres, the highest of any state in Australia. 

The SA dairy industry is renowned for being very strong and collaborative. Being quite a small industry, we have the significant advantage of being able to work together as a team toward industry success.  Our small number of industry bodies that represent dairy farmers and the dairy industry are often found working together on industry projects for the benefit of the whole state. 

Key South Australian Dairy Industry Organisations:

• Dairy Industry Development Board - established to provide strategic leadership and advice to the Government about the SA dairy industry
  
• South Australian Dairyfarmers Association - a not-for-profit company representing the interests of South Australian dairy farmers
  
• DairySA - a joint venture with Dairy Australia to develop a strategic direction for dairy research, development and extension in the SA; setting priorities, seeking submissions for, and commissioning dairy improvement projects
  
• Dairy Authority of South Australia - approves food safety arrangements and accredits dairy farmers, dairy manufacturers, dairy distributors and dairy produce carriers
  
• Primary Industries & Resources SA (PIRSA) - information on Health Certificates, National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) and Property Registration (PIC)
   

National Organisations

Australia has a number of national organisations that are essential for coordinating industry policy, carrying out research and development and extension activites and providing professional industry bodies.  For more information click here