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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 | 8.541 | 8.497 | 5.836 | 6.039 | +3,5% | Jan-Sep 2026 | ||
| ± % Over the same period of the previous year | +0,2% | +3,9% | -0,5% | |||||||
| 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% | +3,9% | ||||||||
| 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 | 8,0 | 8,3 | +4,3% | Jan-Mar 2026 | ||
| Cheese | 399 | 441 | 442 | 447 | 110 | 116 | +5,2% | Jan-Mar 2026 | ||
| WMP (whole milk powder) | 37 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 5,2 | 4,1 | -22,2% | Jan-Mar 2026 | ||
| SMP (skimmed milk powder) | 137 | 146 | 175 | 176 | 34 | 36 | +6,6% | Jan-Mar 2026 | ||
| EXPORT | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 | 2026 | % | Period | ||
| Bulk and packed milk (HS 040110+040120) |
|
309 | 186 | 147 | 160 | 110 | 110 | -0,4% | Jan-Sep 2026 | |
| Cream (HS 040130+040140+040150) |
|
16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 11 | -6,1% | Jan-Sep 2026 | |
| Butter (HS 0405) |
|
17 | 9,4 | 22 | 15 | 12 | 7,8 | -33,6% | Jan-Sep 2026 | |
| di cui: | ||||||||||
| Anhydrous Milk Fat (HS 040590) |
|
5,3 | 3,1 | 4,1 | 3,7 | 2,9 | 2,8 | -5,1% | Jan-Sep 2026 | |
| Cheese (HS 0406) |
|
145 | 129 | 167 | 172 | 123 | 117 | -5,0% | Jan-Sep 2026 | |
| WMP (whole milk powder - HS 040221+040229) |
|
58 | 38 | 55 | 50 | 38 | 25 | -34,2% | Jan-Sep 2026 | |
| Condensed milk (HS 040291+040299) |
|
51 | 45 | 47 | 35 | 25 | 29 | +18,3% | Jan-Sep 2026 | |
| SMP (skimmed milk powder - HS 040210) |
|
154 | 133 | 170 | 157 | 109 | 100 | -8,2% | Jan-Sep 2026 | |
| Whey powder (HS 0404) |
|
26 | 37 | 28 | 16 | 12 | 15 | +28,7% | Jan-Sep 2026 | |
| Lactose pharmaceutical (HS 170211) |
|
3,0 | 11 | 8,0 | 4,2 | 2,7 | 6,7 | +150,2% | Jan-Sep 2026 | |
| Infant milk formula (HS 190110) |
|
22 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 12 | 11 | -5,0% | Jan-Sep 2026 | |
| Fat-Filled Milk Powder (FFMP) (HS 190190) |
|
35 | 30 | 32 | 39 | 28 | 35 | +26,0% | Jan-Sep 2026 | |
| IMPORT | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 | 2026 | % | Period | ||
| Cream (HS 040130+040140+040150) |
|
4,2 | 4,5 | 5,5 | 6,0 | 4,2 | 3,9 | -8,1% | Jan-Sep 2026 | |
| Butter (HS 0405) |
|
40 | 48 | 42 | 45 | 31 | 38 | +24,6% | Jan-Sep 2026 | |
| Cheese (HS 0406) |
|
96 | 108 | 101 | 115 | 82 | 84 | +2,2% | Jan-Sep 2026 | |
| WMP (whole milk powder - HS 040221+040229) |
|
40 | 47 | 37 | 38 | 27 | 25 | -6,9% | Jan-Sep 2026 | |
| SMP (skimmed milk powder - HS 040210) |
|
15 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 7,7 | 8,5 | +10,5% | Jan-Sep 2026 | |
| Whey powder (HS 0404) |
|
12 | 7,9 | 7,8 | 14 | 9,2 | 9,1 | -1,4% | Jan-Sep 2026 | |
| Lactose pharmaceutical (HS 170211) |
|
7,5 | 4,6 | 5,1 | 6,0 | 4,3 | 6,6 | +52,9% | Jan-Sep 2026 | |
| Lactose edible (HS 170219) |
|
6,6 | 3,3 | 3,3 | 3,1 | 2,0 | 0,8 | -63,2% | Jan-Sep 2026 | |
| Infant milk formula (HS 190110) |
|
21 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 8,9 | -22,2% | Jan-Sep 2026 | |
| Fat-Filled Milk Powder (FFMP) (HS 190190) |
|
28 | 26 | 28 | 24 | 17 | 20 | +15,5% | Jan-Sep 2026 | |
| DOMESTIC CONSUMPTION (Source: FAS-USDA) | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 | 2026(f) | % | Period | ||
| Cheese | 330 | 340 | 345 | 350 | 350 | 365 | +4,3% | Jan-Dec 2026 | Butter | 91 | 92 | 93 | 95 | 95 | 100 | +5,3% | 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 | 12,98 | ||||||
| Butter | 3,47 | 3,48 | 3,48 | 3,52 | ||||||
| SMP | 1,07 | 1,06 | 0,90 | 0,93 | ||||||
| WMP | 1,34 | 1,13 | 0,75 | 0,74 | ||||||
| % Self-sufficiency | 103,9% | 102,3% | 101,7% | 101,9% | ||||||
| SOCIO-ECONOMIC INDICATORS | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 | 2026(f) | % | Period | ||
| Population ('000) | 26.201 | 26.451 | 26.713 | 26.974 | ||||||
| GDP per capita (U.S. dollars) | 65.574 | 64.652 (e) | 66.248 (e) | 64.547 (e) | ||||||
| GDP per capita (€) * | 62.271 | 59.792(e) | 61.185(e) | 57.122(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: 2026-11-10
(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: 2026-11-10
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