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 (2009/10)
| National Dairy Herd |
1.6 million cows |
| Average Herd Size |
220 cows |
| Milk Production |
9,023 million litres |
| Average Annual Milk Production Per Cow |
5,445 litres |
| Dairy - Australia's 3rd Largest Rural Industry |
$3.4 billion value at farmgate |
| Milk Utilisation |
Cheese 34 per cent
Drinking milk 25 per cent
SMP/butter 24 per cent
WMP 11 per cent
Casein/butter 3 per cent
Other 3 per cent |
| Production Of Main Commodities (tonnes) |
Milk Powders 316,300
Cheese 349,400
Butter (CBE) 128,400 |
| Dairy - Major Export Industry |
$2.4 billion
10 per cent of world dairy trade |
| Percentage Of Australian Milk Production Exported |
45 per cent |
| Major Markets For Australian Dairy Products (Tonnes) |
Australia 2,773,000
(including 2,337,000 of drinking milk)
Japan 116,000
Singapore 87,000
China 65,300
Indonesia 44,700
Philippines 43,200 |
| Per Capita Consumption |
Drinking milk 102lts
Cheese 13kgs |
| Dairy Industry Workforce |
Direct employment of approximately 40,000 |
ABARE estimates a regional economic multiplier of 2.5 from the dairy industry.
