The government of Western Australia is backing the dairy industry by providing $200,000 to help strengthen and grow WA.
It is hoped funding will attract co-investment in dairy research and development to capture milk processing and export opportunities.
Agriculture and food minister Alannah MacTiernan announced the new funding to support local research and development over the next two years.
“This funding will give our dairy farmers access to targeted technical and scientific support to continue adapting to the ongoing demands of the milk market,” she said.
READ: Corangamite Shire’s agribusiness sector gets funding boost from government
The investment will enable Western Dairy, industry’s independent research and development arm, to build on its achievements since its inception three years ago.
The organisation has successfully established a research, development and extension hub to focus on local production challenges and opportunities, guided by the industry.
The state government’s contribution will enable Western Dairy to attract co-investment from industry partners to add value to projects that increase profitability and build a long-term sustainable industry.
“We’re seeing positive developments in the WA dairy industry in the milk processing and export sectors, and it is important that industry is able to capitalise on these and other opportunities,” said MacTiernan.
“Western Dairy has played a pivotal role in supporting producers with business improvement through its dairy farm monitor program, as well as exploring pasture solutions to address the challenge of the seasonal feed gap.”
The WA dairy industry had demonstrated its resilience and capacity to embrace change and opportunities to provide Australian and international consumers with safe, high quality milk, said MacTiernan.
The Victorian state government also invested $260,000 in the agribusiness sector recently.
Corangamite Shire’s got more funding to boost the productivity farm businesses and their supply chains.
The investment is part of the Local Roads to Market program.