Fuel disruption and the dairy industry

The Australian dairy industry is working closely together to respond to fuel and fertiliser supply and pricing challenges, supporting dairy farmers and processors during a period of ongoing uncertainty.

Ongoing tensions in the Middle East are impacting global supply chains, with flow-on effects being felt across the Australian dairy industry. Fuel supply constraints, dairy packaging supply impacts and rising fertiliser prices continue to be reported across the country, as global market disruption and increased demand place pressure on availability. These impacts are expected to continue for some time.

ADPF is working closely with Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF), Dairy Australia and governments to identify impacts of supply chain disruptions and ensure our industry’s needs are clearly understood and supported. We are calling for government recognition of the potential impacts on food production and regional communities.

Broader industry engagement is underway through national coordination and advocacy efforts. This includes ADPF’s participation in discussions through the Federal Government’s National Coordination Mechanism, as well as industry representation at the Minister’s Agriculture Fuel Supply Roundtable.

ADIC letter to the Prime Minister

The Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC) has written to the Prime Minister seeking Commonwealth and State Government support to ensure dairy is appropriately protected within emergency fuel arrangements. Specifically, we are calling for:

Pre-designation of dairy as a priority fuel user, covering farms, milk transport, feed supply and processing and manufacturing facilities, including the ability to move product to market
Alignment across jurisdictions, with dairy embedded in all state and territory fuel emergency response plans
Guaranteed access to contracted fuel supply, ensuring dairy businesses are treated as protected bulk customers in any allocation system
Prepared use of emergency direction powers, enabling fuel to be directed to dairy-critical users where market mechanisms fail
Formal recognition of dairy as essential to food security and animal welfare, reflecting its role as a daily, perishable staple and a critical component of Australia’s food manufacturing and retail supply chains.

Industry webinars

Dairy Australia’s second webinar in a series designed to support the dairy industry impacted by the ongoing fuel and fertiliser disruptions will be held on Monday, April 13 at 12:00pm AEST.

Hear from experts on how to make your available nitrogen fertiliser go further and the key decisions around water farmers may need to make as a result of the ongoing price rises and supply disruptions.

The webinar will feature Tom Farran, a widely respected farm management consultant with almost 20 years of dairy industry experience, as well as Dairy Australia’s National Soils & Water Lead, Cath Lescun. Representatives from Australian Dairy Farmers and the Australian Dairy Products Federation will also provide a brief update on the latest efforts to support farmers and the industry.

The webinar is suitable for farmers, farm managers, farm workers and members of the broader dairy industry.

Watch previous webinars

Watch recordings of previous webinars on DA’s website.

Dairy Australia resources

DA has also updated its website with a series of fact sheets about managing fertiliser on dairy pastures, managing pasture and feed and people. Visit their website for more.

Support during challenging times

Farmers experiencing stress or financial pressure due to the current uncertainty are encouraged to seek support. Assistance is available through the National Centre for Farmer Health, including financial and wellbeing resources, at farmerhealth.org.au/support-hub.