Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) has toasted the New Year and the contribution of dairy farming families across Australia, as part of the United Nations (UN) declared International Year of the Family Farmer in 2014.
ADF President, Noel Campbell, said farming families are the bedrock upon which the dairy industry is founded and integral to its success and resilience.
“As we celebrate the International Year of the Family Farmer in 2014, I encourage all Australians to take a moment to reflect on the enormous and often unheralded contribution that farming families make to this country,” Mr Campbell said.
“In dairy’s case, farming families underpin an industry that directly employs 43,000 Australians, generates almost $3 billion in exports every year and puts a range of quality dairy products in nine out of ten of Aussie homes.
“We should never lose sight of this or the substantial social and economic benefits that dairy farming families contribute to communities across rural and regional Australia.
“So, the next time we buy a bottle of milk, block of cheese or tub of yoghurt let’s all take a moment to think about and celebrate Australia’s dairy farming families.”
Mr Campbell said family-owned enterprises make up over 90 per cent of dairy farm ownership in Australia and remain a source of strength and stability for the industry.
“The family-owned and operated farm is an iconic part of the Australian dairy farming landscape, and long may this remain so in future,” he said.
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