Young dairy leaders with the vision and passion to guide the dairy industry are being called to apply for the new ‘Developing Dairy Leaders Program’.

The program, developed by Dairy Australia and Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF), aims to build on the leadership skills of people aged 18-30 who are committed to the dairy industry.

Two applicants from each major dairying region will be selected to participate in the all-expenses paid program, which runs from February to May 2011. Program participants will:

take part in a four-day residential skills development program in Melbourne
a two-day residential policy and media development program in Canberra
gain formal accreditation towards the industry’s learning and development career pathway work with an industry-leading mentor
learn to contribute to the development of policy.

The program has been developed in response to the Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC) Dairy Leadership – An Industry Blueprint 2010-15, which identified 200 leadership roles are required across the industry – 40 new people each year.

Dairy Australia Managing Director Ian Halliday is pleased to support this initiative as a part of the industry’s commitment to developing its leaders.

“The Australian Dairy industry has overcome many challenges in recent years with the guidance of its dedicated leaders,” Mr Halliday said.

“Dairy Australia recognises the importance of supporting our leaders in every stage of their development and I encourage our next generation of leaders to participate in this program and building the future of the Australian dairy industry.”

ADF President Wes Judd believes the Developing Dairy Leaders Program is a key activity in supporting the development of its state level leaders.

“This program will suit young people who have taken steps down the leadership path and want to further develop their knowledge and career. It provides a fantastic opportunity for participants to learn from current industry leaders,” Mr Judd said.

“I urge young people out there to apply and have a go for themselves and the dairy industry.”

Visit www.dairyaustralia.com.au/leadership to download an application form or for more information. Applications close on 10 December 2010.

Media Contact:

Felicity Gallagher, Dairy Australia External Communications Manager

M: 0417 540 059

E: fgallagher@dairyaustralia.com.au

THE Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) has welcomed the common sense approach shown by the Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) in yesterday’s announcement of a pre-release of Basin plan Guidelines in August.

ADF President, Wes Judd said, ‘ADF has for sometime communicated to government the need to review the draft Basin Plan before it’s finally released’.

‘This early review process will now give the dairy industry, agricultural irrigators and the community an opportunity to consider what’s proposed and provide vital feedback into the draft Basin plan’, he said.

Mr Judd said, ‘that although this does provide some level of reassurance on early consultation, it does not remove or weaken the industry message to the MDBA and the Commonwealth Government, that any reduction to irrigation water allocations will have a significant impact on dairy farms in the Basin region’.

‘If allocations are reduced, it will not only harm the dairy industry and irrigated agriculture, but all sectors of the community across the Basin region. It is important that everyone understands this,‘ he said.

Media contact:

Wes Judd, ADF President

M: 0407 132 854

THE Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) President Wes Judd today welcomed the Senate Economics References Committee report into competition and pricing in the Australian dairy industry.

“Low milk price is always a grave concern for dairy farmers, and the last 18 months have seen an almost unprecedented downturn. While prices are now improving, it is important that food pricing and returns to farmers are transparent to everyone in the supply chain, including consumers” said Mr Judd. “In this environment, it is important that government and industry continue to work together to ensure market power is shared by all.”

Mr Judd confirmed that ADF had worked closely with milk processing companies and would continue to do so. His firm message is that dairy farmers should get returns for their milk at the farm gate as high as the market can yield, saying “as a global price taker, processers need to mirror global milk prices to be competitive in both our domestic and export milk markets. At the same time, farmers need a return that keeps their business viable.”

Mr Judd singled out collective bargaining arrangements as a highlight of the report. “In our market-oriented industry, we rely heavily on a robust system that allows market forces to operate, whilst increasing dairy farmers’ ability to access more balanced market power through tools such as collective bargaining. Strengthening these provisions is one of the recommendations of the Senate Committee that ADF would support. Obviously we would need to further explore the detail of how this is achieved.”

ADF recently welcomed the more positive outlook for milk price forecast by Dairy Australia. After one of the toughest years on record, dairy farmers are proceeding cautiously in the hope that 2010 will be a year of recovery.

Media Contact:

Wes Judd, ADF President

M: 0407 132 854

Adrian Scott, Chief Executive Officer

M: 0437 057 022