ATTRACTING new investment and new entrants into the dairy industry and improved farm business management skills have been identified as two of the priorities for the dairy industry as part of its Australian Dairy Plan.
The partner organisations have released a key direction statement, which highlights five commitments for delivering transformational change to the industry.
These commitments will form the basis of the draft Australian Dairy Plan report, which is due to be published at the end of this month.
The strategies include:
- reforming dairy industry structures and how it works together to create a more cohesive dairy industry and a more influential advocacy voice;
- attracting and supporting new entrants and investment to build industry capacity
- increased efforts in marketing and promotion to build greater levels of trust with consumers and to improve the value of dairy products;
- intensifying the focus on farm business management skills to improve farm and supply chain profitability;
- restoring trust and transparency between farmers, processors and retailers to improve supply chain profitability and better manage volatility and risks.
Since launching earlier this year, the Australian Dairy Plan has organised a nationwide engagement exercise involving more than 1500 people and a national workshop attended by 130 delegates representing all parts of the dairy supply chain, published an in-depth Australian Dairy Situation Analysis report and created a Joint Transition Team to examine options for change to industry structures and advocacy arrangements.
Australian Dairy Plan Independent Chair John Brumby said the key directions statement represented the next step in the development of the Australian Dairy Plan.
"It is not intended to spell out specific initiatives or recommended policies - rather, it identifies the key directions and commitments that provide the structure for the final Australian Dairy Plan," he said.
"Despite the intense pressures facing many farmers, there are good reasons for the industry to be positive over the medium term.
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"Dairy consumption in Australia is the strongest in the world, and there are significant opportunities to supply international markets.
"Many family farmers are looking to expand and there is a growing pool of global capital looking for investment opportunities."
Mr Brumby said many of the issues facing the dairy industry were long-standing and well known.
The unique features of this plan which give it a greater chance of success are the collaboration and commitment of industry organisations to implement change, the unprecedented level of industry engagement, and the focus on building a strong and positive industry culture," he said.
The draft plan will be released this month with further consultation before the final Australian Dairy Plan is released in February.
- Details: dairyplan.com.au
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