Consultation Summary

Over 1,500 farmers, service providers, processors, retailers, investors and other key stakeholders, participated in 25 consultation workshops across dairying regions, one-on-one interviews, and via an online forum OurSay, from May through to July 2019. Key findings were discussed at a two day National Workshop in Melbourne at the end of July attended by 130 representatives from across the industry, where key themes for positive change were agreed:

• Transformational change to reform industry structures and strengthen advocacy to be more effective, united and efficient.
• New measures to increase transparency and help manage market risk including the establishment of a functioning milk price market and new risk measures backed by government legislation.
• A significant increase in marketing and promotion to build community trust and recognition of dairy products, the dairy industry and dairy farmers.
• Increased effort and new initiatives to attract and support more new people to the industry, particularly the next generation of farmers.
• A heightened focus to address rising costs, risks and volatility on farm, including building farmer capability, adopting new innovations, and accessing new risk management tools.
• A concerted effort to change the culture of the industry to position dairy as an agri-business leader with a clear and positive focus on excellence.
• Build on world-leading practice through the Sustainability Framework to stay at the forefront with innovative new practices that meet and exceed consumer expectations.
• Better understand how climate change will affect our industry across Australia (particularly when it comes to water) and more investment in the technological solutions that will help us adapt to a changing climate.
• Practical initiatives to work with the Federal Government and maximise support available from the $100bn agriculture target and associated $4.9bn drought fund.
• A clear and ambitious vision for the future of the Australian dairy industry such as ‘A united, profitable and growing dairy industry built on high standards of environmental sustainability and animal welfare, producing high quality and nutritious dairy products to the Australian and international markets’.

Summary of National Workshop outputs

Download a summary document of key outputs and presentation slides from the Australian Dairy Plan National Workshop on 30-31 July 2019 in Melbourne.

Summaries of Regional Workshops

Download individual summaries of these regional workshops during May and June 2019.