Cheese
Australia produced 342,000 tonnes of cheese in 2008/09 – a 5% decrease on the previous year. While the production of cheddar, hard grating and mouldripened cheese types increased on the previous year – due in part to milk availability – the production of semi hard and fresh cheeses declined quite significantly as Australia’s key export markets contracted due to the global economic downturn.
The longer-term trend away from cheddar cheeses towards non-cheddar cheese types has been apparent in both the production and consumption data for Australia for some years. However, 2008/09 saw a reversal in this trend, with the non-cheddar share of total production dropping back from 52% to 48%.
Australian cheese production by type of cheese (tonnes)
| |
2003/04 |
2004/05 |
2005/06 |
2006/07 |
2007/08 |
2008/09(p) |
| Cheddar |
207,795 |
195,887 |
191,693 |
179,159 |
171,260 |
178,274 |
| Semi Hard |
88,712 |
90,714 |
76,813 |
75,529 |
73,467 |
61,700 |
| Hard Grating |
11,333 |
13,267 |
23,022 |
18,477 |
16,922 |
17,936 |
| Fresh |
70,880 |
83,649 |
75,441 |
84,443 |
90,967 |
75,194 |
| Mould |
5,042 |
4,833 |
5,847 |
6,030 |
7,968 |
8,912 |
| Total Cheese |
383,762 |
388,350 |
372,816 |
363,638 |
360,584 |
342,016 |
Source: Dairy manufacturers
It is estimated that around 55% of the domestic sales of Australian cheese are through supermarkets. A significant proportion – mostly specialty cheeses – is sold through the smaller independent retail trade, with the remainder used in the foodservice sector and in food processing applications.
Cheese is a major product for the Australian dairy industry, with sales of 205,000 tonnes within Australia, valued at an estimated A$1.7 billion, and export sales of 144,650 tonnes, worth more than A$789 million in 2008/09.
See Domestic Sales Summary for more details on supermarket sales of cheese