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Australia: dairy sector


This page contains data regarding key components of the Australian dairy industry over a given time period.


The purpose of this report is two-fold:

  • on the one hand, it describes the products that this industry produces, including commodities and various derivatives (butter, concentrated butter, cheese, milk powder, whey powder, casein, etc.);

  • on the other hand, it shows the overall exports of processed products - due to surplus production in relation to the population.

AUSTRALIA: DAIRY SECTOR
  '000 Ton
RAW MATERIAL AREA 2022 2023 2024 2025 2025 2026 % Period
(Dairy Season)1) (2022/23) (2023/24) (2024/25) (2025/26)
Dairy Farms 4.163 3.889 3.772
Dairy cows ('000 head) 1.290 1.330 1.300
Milk production (Million liters) 8.204 8.220 8.417 8.242 1.281 1.294 +1,1% Jan-Feb 2026
± % Over the same period of the previous year +0,2% +2,4% -2,1%
Milkfat (%) 1) 4,22 4,22 4,25
Protein (%) 1) 3,43 3,45 3,45
Farm-gate prices of raw milk 1) ($/Kg di Milk Solid) 9,85 9,79 9,35
± % Over the same period of the previous year +0,2% +2,4%
DAIRY PRODUCTION 2022 2023 2024 2025 2025 2026 % Period
Liquid milk 2.366 2.384 2.340
(Dairy Season)1) (2022/23) (2023/24) (2024/25)
Butter 36 35 38 41
Cheese 399 441 442 447
WMP (whole milk powder) 37 25 26 25
SMP (skimmed milk powder) 137 146 175 176
EXPORT 2022 2023 2024 2025 2025 2026 % Period
Bulk and packed milk (HS 040110+040120)
TOP importers
309 186 147 160 23 27 +20,4% Jan-Feb 2026
Cream (HS 040130+040140+040150)
TOP importers
16 16 17 16 3,2 2,8 -14,7% Jan-Feb 2026
Butter (HS 0405)
TOP importers
17 9,4 22 15 2,8 1,5 -47,2% Jan-Feb 2026
di cui:
Anhydrous Milk Fat (HS 040590)
TOP importers
5,3 3,1 4,1 3,7 0,8 0,4 -43,4% Jan-Feb 2026
Cheese (HS 0406)
TOP importers
145 129 167 172 29 24 -17,3% Jan-Feb 2026
WMP (whole milk powder - HS 040221+040229)
TOP importers
58 38 55 50 8,3 5,5 -33,8% Jan-Feb 2026
Condensed milk (HS 040291+040299)
TOP importers
51 45 47 35 5,3 5,4 +0,8% Jan-Feb 2026
SMP (skimmed milk powder - HS 040210)
TOP importers
154 133 170 157 26 27 +6,0% Jan-Feb 2026
Whey powder (HS 0404)
TOP importers
26 37 28 16 3,5 3,6 +5,3% Jan-Feb 2026
Lactose pharmaceutical (HS 170211)
TOP importers
3,0 11 8,0 4,2 0,5 1,1 +119,5% Jan-Feb 2026
Infant milk formula (HS 190110)
TOP importers
22 15 14 17 1,7 1,9 +8,6% Jan-Feb 2026
Fat-Filled Milk Powder (FFMP) (HS 190190)
TOP importers
35 30 32 39 5,3 6,9 +30,5% Jan-Feb 2026
IMPORT 2022 2023 2024 2025 2025 2026 % Period
Cream (HS 040130+040140+040150)
TOP exporters
4,2 4,5 5,5 6,0 0,9 0,7 -31,2% Jan-Feb 2026
Butter (HS 0405)
TOP exporters
40 48 42 45 7,6 9,4 +24,1% Jan-Feb 2026
Cheese (HS 0406)
TOP exporters
96 108 101 115 19 20 +5,3% Jan-Feb 2026
WMP (whole milk powder - HS 040221+040229)
TOP exporters
40 47 37 38 6,0 6,5 +9,9% Jan-Feb 2026
SMP (skimmed milk powder - HS 040210)
TOP exporters
15 14 11 10 2,5 1,5 -41,5% Jan-Feb 2026
Whey powder (HS 0404)
TOP exporters
12 7,9 7,8 14 1,7 1,8 +7,6% Jan-Feb 2026
Lactose pharmaceutical (HS 170211)
TOP exporters
7,5 4,6 5,1 6,0 1,0 1,3 +39,1% Jan-Feb 2026
Lactose edible (HS 170219)
TOP exporters
6,6 3,3 3,3 3,1 0,5 0,2 -53,3% Jan-Feb 2026
Infant milk formula (HS 190110)
TOP exporters
21 15 15 15 2,9 1,9 -33,9% Jan-Feb 2026
Fat-Filled Milk Powder (FFMP) (HS 190190)
TOP exporters
28 26 28 24 3,6 4,9 +36,4% Jan-Feb 2026
DOMESTIC CONSUMPTION (Source: FAS-USDA) 2022 2023 2024 2025 2025 2026(f) % Period
Cheese 330 340 345 350 350 355 +1,4% Jan-Dec 2026
Butter 91 92 93 95 95 96 +1,1% Jan-Dec 2026
SMP 28 28 24 25 25 25 0,0% Jan-Dec 2026
WMP 35 30 20 20 20 20 0,0% Jan-Dec 2026
PER CAPITA CONSUMPTIONS (kg) 2022 2023 2024 2025 2025 2026(f) % Period
Cheese 12,59 12,85 12,92  
Butter 3,47 3,48 3,48  
SMP 1,07 1,06 0,90  
WMP 1,34 1,13 0,75  
% Self-sufficiency 103,9% 102,3% 101,7% 102,0%
SOCIO-ECONOMIC INDICATORS 2022 2023 2024 2025 2025 2026(f) % Period
Population ('000) 26.201 26.451 26.713
GDP per capita (U.S. dollars) 65.526 (e) 64.964 (e)
GDP per capita (€) * 62.225(e) 60.080(e)
1) Dairy Season: July 1st - June 30th
(f): forecast
(e): estimated
* Per capita GDP in Euro is calculated by using the yearly average exchange rate
NOTE:Per capita consumptions are obtained dividing total consumption (Source FAS-USDA ) by the population (Source FAO)

Source Raw material area: ABARES; Dairy Australia; Farm-gate prices of raw milk (Indicative factory paid milk prices by state), Protein and Milkfat: Dairy manufacturers
Source Dairy production: ABARES; Australian Bureau of Statistics; Dairy Australia
Source Export: IHS;
Source Import: IHS
Source Consumption: FAS-USDA
GDP per capita: International Monetary Found
Source Population: FAO
Note: Self-sufficiency rate = Milk deliveries/(Domestic use in milk equivalent ME)
Domestic use in milk equivalent (ME) = Milk deliveries + Import in ME - Export in ME

Last update: 2026-04-16
NOTE: Access to World Dairy Trade, which also contains the processing of Import / Export of the Australia with MONTHLY UPDATES, is reserved for Supporters of CLAL.it
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