Friday, 31 May 2024 09:07

Let's celebrate World Milk Day!

Written by  Sudesh Kissun
: Dairy farmers Nic and Kirsty Verhoek and their children Ferguson, Isabelle and Lachlan raise glasses of milk to toast World Milk Day. : Dairy farmers Nic and Kirsty Verhoek and their children Ferguson, Isabelle and Lachlan raise glasses of milk to toast World Milk Day.

Tomorrow (June 1) is World Milk Day.

Dairy has long been the powerhouse of the New Zealand economy, significantly contributing to local communities and regional economies, while providing quality and trusted nutrition around the world.

Dairy generated $25.5 billion in export revenue in the year ended April 2024 and provided direct employment for approximately 55,000 people both on and off farm.

DairyNZ and the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ) are excited to toast these achievements.

“World Milk Day is a great opportunity to celebrate the role of our farmers, dairy companies and the whole sector in progressing a positive future for New Zealand,” says DairyNZ chief executive Campbell Parker.

The international day was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to recognise the importance of milk as a global food and to celebrate the dairy sector.

“The milk produced by New Zealand farmers is equivalent to two and half serves of dairy per day for 90 million people. This nutritional contribution starts with our farmers’ commitment to their land and animals and flows through the whole value chain to benefit our customers, communities and the country,” Parker says.

DCANZ executive director Kimberly Crewther says the high-quality milk supplied by farmers is being transformed into more than 1500 different dairy products and product formulations, exported to over 130 countries, and providing one in every four dollars New Zealand earns from trade.

“The sector’s success is due to a huge team effort by farmers, dairy company employees and the many partner industries our dairy farms, processors and exporters couldn’t function without,” says Ms Crewther.

Dairy farmers and dairy companies’ contribution to economic activity includes more than $7.9 billion spent on goods and services in the local economy by dairy farmers and $5 billion spent by dairy processors in addition to their purchases of milk from farmers in the year to March 2023.

Dairy farmers are top 10 purchasers of goods and services from over 1/3 of all other industries and dairy processors are top 10 purchasers of goods and services from 1/4 of all other industries.

Crewther says milk is a nutritional powerhouse and a top 5 source of supply of 23 out of 29 essential nutrients within the global food system. This includes 48% of dietary calcium supply and 12% of protein for only 7% of calories. “Dairy products make an important contribution to diets at every stage of life."

Parker says World Milk Day is an opportunity to acknowledge how central dairy can be within communities – with dairy farmers often contributing to local volunteering, education, conservation, mentoring and the emergency services.

“The dairy sector is an industry I find very easy to get out of bed for every day and get excited about, and DairyNZ will continue working hard to ensure Kiwi dairy farmers remain profitable, sustainable and internationally competitive into the future,” Parker says.

Crewther says the dairy sector is a source of a diverse range of careers for New Zealanders, whether it’s farming, advancing dairy science, manufacturing world class dairy products, connecting New Zealand products with global customers through sales and logistics, or one of the many other roles that support the whole sector to run smoothly.

“With our links around the world, there are exciting opportunities on farms, in dairy companies and dairy sector organisations. The sky’s the limit in our dynamic dairy sector.”

Key facts & figures

NZ dairy sector:

  • More than 10,500 Kiwi dairy farms
  • Around 4.7 million milking cows
  • Over 20 billion litres of milk produced a year
  • More than 1500 dairy products and product formulations
  • $25.5 billion in export revenue in the year ended April 2024
  • Around 55,000 people employed in dairy throughout the country, both on and off farms.

More like this

Musical chairs

OPINION: DairyNZ's director elections has seen scientist Jacqueline Rowarth re-elected for another three-year term.

DairyNZ levy to increase?

Retiring chair Jim van der Poel has used his final AGM to announce the intention to increase the DairyNZ farmer levy for the first time in the industry-good body's 17-year history.

Tributes to retiring 'Jim the farmer'

Doing what is right, not what is easy, has been the hallmark of Jim van der Poel's leadership of, and advocacy for, the dairy industry, attendees at the DairyNZ annual general meeting heard last week.

Featured

State farmer opens pathway to ownership for more Kiwis

In a landmark move, the state-owned farmer Pāmu (Landcorp) is making four of its 44 dairy farms available for people wishing to take up various contracts including herd-owning, share milking, variable order share milking and contract milking.

Coming to a beach near you!

The popular Surfing for Farmers programme, which gives farmers a well-earned break from life on the farm, starts its eighth season from November 5.

MilkHub sold

Milk vat manufacturer DTS is selling its dairy automation business to MilktechNZ.

National

Machinery & Products

Landpower increases its offering

Landpower and the Claas Harvest Centre network will launch the Claas Scorpion and Torion material handling solutions to the market…

New F5 balers from McHale

Irish grassland machinery manufacturer McHale has unveiled the new four-model range of F5 fixed chamber balers.

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

'Mea culpa'

OPINION: The Reserve Bank’s rate cut is great news, albeit a bit late, but your old mate agrees with Act…

Fast tracked

OPINION: While the Government’s Fast Track bill is copping it from all the usual suspects – opposition parties, greenies, unions…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter