The Primary Produce (Food Safety Schemes) Act 2004 mandates that every accredited business completes a Dairysafe annual return, validating details and disclosing specifics such as the type and number of processes, stock numbers and more.
“This annual return is a key process for Dairysafe, allowing the verification of accreditation details, including vital business information and key contacts,” said Geoff Raven, CEO of Dairysafe.
“It also provides essential operational data such as cow numbers, litres produced, and the volume of dairy products processed, enabling Dairysafe to maintain a comprehensive understanding of the industry and allocate resources efficiently based on risk.”
The 2024-2025 annual returns will be issued to accredited businesses in late June/early July. Dairysafe has attempted to make the annual return process as simple as possible for industry, by using a pre-populated form, streamlining the submission process for businesses and aiding accuracy. This year, all dairy businesses will be able to complete the return online.
“Timely submission of the completed annual return plays a pivotal role in Dairysafe’s operations. It ensures our database is up to date and empowers industry reporting and analysis, which is critical for industry development,” Geoff said.
Certificates of Accreditation are issued every three years or when significant changes in business details occur. With the last issuance in 2022, businesses can expect the next release in 2025, provided there have not been substantial alterations since the previous certificate was issued.