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Dairying in Victoria
Dairying in Victoria I Main Dairy Production Regions in Victoria | Water Use in Dairies
Dairying in Victoria
Victoria dominates the dairy industry in Australia, producing over 60% of fresh milk and 75% of manufactured dairy products in the country. The industry is focused on the production of milk for maunfacturing purposes whereas in other States it is mainly based on the fresh milk market. Victoria's dairy industry is internationally competetive because its low cost pasture-based systems and clean green (environmental) image.
Victoria's temperate climate and natural resources enable year round grazing of quality pastures grown using relatively low cost irrigation water or with rainfall alone. Victorian farmers have adopted new or improved technologies, with milk production increasing by 5% over the past decade.
The Victorian Government is working with agribusiness to improve Victoria's food industry even further. The Department of Primary Industries, Victoria (DPI) is collaborating with industry, farmers and local communities to develop and implement sustainable production systems which are critical for the long term viability of agricultural and food industries.
For detailed information on the Victorian dairy industry - see Industry Fact Sheet - Dairying in Victoria
For detailed information on DPI's dairy industry strategy - refer to Dairy Strategy
Main Dairy Production Regions in Victoria
Water Use in Dairies
As Victorian water supplies are becoming increasingly limited and variable, DPI has developed a special booklet designed to help farmers calculate their water use for each of the main processes undertaken in a dairy shed.
The booklet entitled Dairy Shed Water - How Much do You Use? (PDF 2.1MB) also provides information from more than 1,500 farmers visited by DPI dairy extension staff over the past 10 years.
Information from the booklet will help farmers to:
- have a greater understanding and appreciation of the amount of water used on their farms
- identify the scope of water savings and encourage greater water use efficiency in the dairy
- provide a more accurate figure to a water corporation to update an existing licence or to apply for a new water licence; and/or
- work out the volume of water needed for purchase if the farm is in a capped catchment
For more information about the booklet please contact the DPI Customer Service Centre on 136 186.
Licences are required for dairy shed water use
In Victoria, water for commercial use is regulated by water corporations on behalf of the Minister for Water to ensure the sustainable use of the resource.
Water corporations issue licences to ensure the amount of water taken from streams, rivers, bores, dams and channels is sustainable.
Although the legislation does not currently require water taken from these sources for ‘stock and domestic’ use to be licensed, all other agricultural uses of water in Victoria, including water for use in dairy sheds, require a licence.
This means:
- all operating dairies require a licence to take and use water
- the volume allocated for dairy shed use in Section 51 licences must reflect actual use; and
- water used in the dairy shed will be metered in line with existing Government and water corporation policy
Program to licence water used in the dairy shed
The Department of Sustainability and Environment is running the Dairy Shed Water Licence Transition Program to make sure all water used in dairy sheds throughout Victoria is fully licensed.
The program includes an amnesty, ending on 26 February 2010. After that, it will be expected that all water used in dairy sheds is fully licensed.
By early October 2009, all dairy farmers registered with Dairy Food Safety Victoria should have received an information pack about the program, including a brochure, a licence application form and a copy of the Dairy shed water – How much do you use? booklet (DPI 2009).
Contacts
Contact your water corporation for information about licensing fees:
Goulburn–Murray Water – www.g-mwater.com.au; 1800 013 357 (toll free) or (03) 5833 5500
Grampians–Wimmera–Mallee Water – www.gwmwater.org.au 1300 659 961
Lower Murray Water – www.lmw.vic.gov.au (03) 5051 3400
Melbourne Water – www.melbournewater.com.au 131 722
Southern Rural Water – www.srw.com.au 1300 139 510
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