Photo credit: https://www.fginsight.com/news/news/global-ag-view-australian-retailers-push-up-milk-prices-in-drought-struggle-82689

Across different regions we often see farmers and Quality departments squeezed first during difficult times. This is the case in Australia where droughts have strained the dairy industry. Especially now as the warmer weather starts to settle in and temperatures are already hitting high 30 Degrees Celsius before summer has even started. GP Systems our Australian and New Zealand partner since 2017 knows this challenge firsthand. Plants in small towns have been hit so heavily, that they are reexamining their development plans to accommodate to water shortages. Jared Bailey, General Manager for GP Systems shared that Australia the driest continent on earth, seems to be getting drier with some regions seeing the worst drought in over 120 years. There are towns in northern Australia with water supply that is down to less than two weeks. The knock on effect of all this is a reduced reduction in milk supply and spiraling costs to the farmer for feed and water in the effected regions. This puts considerable strain on the farmers with some already losing there farm and others been forced into survival mode. In turn the impact here trickles down into the wider rural community.

While there are significant challenges facing the Australian and New Zealand dairy market, GP Systems has been able to achieve double digit increases in growth each year. What has led to this growth? One reason is the Chinese regulatory requirements. China imports powdered dairy products and holds Australian and New Zealand dairies to a higher standard. This requires extensive documentation and accurate data for microbiological analysis. Additionally, allergens are becoming a growing concern and requires aseptic sampling to ensure no cross contamination. GP Systems is working closely with its plants to understand their sampling needs and designing sampling plans that proactively monitor their process and protect their brand even during challenging times.

To learn more about the Australian and New Zealand dairy market check out the new GP Systems website.

Read the related Farmers Guardian article

By Anne Bigalke
VP of International Markets, QualiTru Sampling Systems
anne@qualitru.com   Follow Anne on LinkedIn