Industry Statistics
The table below highlights some key features of the Australian dairy industry and gives an insight into how dairy contributes to Australia’s social and economic well being.
Other pages in this section provide more detailed facts and figures on key elements of Australian dairy production and trade including the latest updates on what products we make and where we sell them plus trends in dairy farm and cow numbers and the cost of key inputs to production like feed and grain.
Australian Dairy At A Glance (2008/09)
| National Dairy Herd |
1.6 million cows |
| Average Herd Size |
200 cows |
| Milk Production |
9,388 million litres |
| Average Annual Milk Production Per Cow |
5,750 litres |
| Dairy - Australia's 3rd Largest Rural Industry |
$4.0 billion value at farmgate |
| Dairy - Major Value-Added Food Industry |
$12 billion value at wholesale |
| Milk Utilisation |
Cheese 33 per cent
Drinking milk 24 per cent
SMP/butter 25 per cent
WMP 12 per cent
Casein/butter 4 per cent
Other 2 per cent |
| Production Of Main Commodities (Tonnes) |
Milk Powders 359,600
Cheese 342,000
Butter (CBE) 148,500 |
| Dairy - Major Export Industry |
$2.9 billion
9 per cent of world dairy trade |
| Percentage Of Australian Milk Production Exported |
45 per cent |
| Major Markets For Australian Dairy Products (Tonnes) |
Australia 2,604,000
(including 2,178,600 of drinking milk)
Japan 106,000
Singapore 80,000
China 61,269
Philippines 50,000 |
| Per Capita Consumption |
Drinking milk 104lts
Cheese (12kgs) |
| Dairy Industry Workforce |
Direct employment of approximately 40,000 |
ABARE estimates a regional economic multiplier of 2.5 from the dairy industry.