South Australian Dairy farmers Association president John Hunt says the state is uniquely poised to carve out a niche in the global milk market place. The industry-first plan will audit, track and certify the state’s dairy industry as its milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream moves through the supply chain.
South Australian Dairy farmers’ Association chief executive Andrew Curtis said two new projects will this year work toward having the state’s products recognised as being among the world’s safest, greenest and best quality.
Said Curtis: “What we’re saying is we need to put in place the processes and certifications so people can say yes, South Australian. People will say ‘I’ll buy that product’ whether they are in downtown Beijing or New York or Adelaide, ‘I will buy that because I know it’s quality’.”
The industry planned to first build a framework to audit the state’s 241 dairy farms along with its processors of cheese, yogurt and ice cream and to then work toward making certification happen.
Curtis said the plan recognised the state’s smaller, niche dairy industry was producing demonstrably higher standard products, with the new marketing approach better targeting Asia’s growing middle class searching for premium products.
Added Curtis: “We can’t supply the whole world so we will supply to the people who have got good taste and also recognise the value of sustainable, quality production.“ If you want soggy mozzarella that shrivels in the oven, go your hardest, but if you want quality that has flavour then talk to us.”
South Australia typically produces about 500 million litres of milk a year, around 6 per cent of Australia’s annual production of almost 9 billion litres. Now it was moving forward in recognising the state is ‘uniquely poised to carve out a niche in the global market place by placing itself at the front of the premium market’.
Hunt said: “It’s the whole chain, we have a certain standard we are going to adhere to and it’s going to be easy to follow. We have to differentiate ourselves so we see a South Australian product and you almost don’t have to worry about reading the label.”
This included ensuring world’s best practice in caring for animals, staff and the environment along with producing high-end products. Hunt also said after several years of uncertainty with unpredictable pricing and contracts, the decision to pull together processors and farmers at a state summit late last year was helping boost the industry’s future. The industry was now moving toward providing extra confidence for farmers already supported by a new national code of conduct and growing success in local companies making dairy products. For more visit theleadsouthaustralia.com.au/?p=40581
