Innovative workshops focused on helping the SA dairy industry prepare for export were held in Adelaide in April. The two workshops, which brought industry and dairy agencies together, were delivered by Dairy Australia and Dairysafe.
The interactive workshops gave attendees the opportunity to share their learnings, the challenges they’ve faced and their successes. “It was a valuable opportunity for the dairy industry to explore the ins and outs of dairy manufacturing and exporting, and to learn about the challenges commonly faced when considering export,” said Dairysafe CEO Brian Owens.
“The workshops also allowed government partners to identify the support and resources currently available within the market and what additional support is required to assist both industry and agencies in navigating and facilitating more dairy exports out of Australia.”
The workshops brought together representatives from Dairy Australia, Dairysafe, Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA), SA Dairy Farmers Association (SADA), the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) and the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR).
“The workshops were the first of this kind to be held in Australia, and lead the way for an exciting, integrated and supportive approach for dairy industry and agency partners to work more closely together,” Brian said.
“The positive feedback received from the workshops flags the need for additional workshops to be rolled out in more locations over the coming year.”
A number of actions were identified at the Adelaide workshops, including:
- A need for the National Food Standards to be clearer and to be more consistently applied across all Australian states;
- A need for more support for newcomers to the industry;
- A need for more support for companies making improvements or changes to their operations;
- A need for more business planning support to assist industry members to identify the best path to success – state, national, export;
- A need for greater supply chain transparency;
- A need for greater education, particularly in the area of sharing learnings with industry and agency partners following non-conformances;
- A need for a directory of contacts, resources and templates to assist with export activities; and
- A need for a review of Export Categories as they currently do not cover all products.
Another export workshop will be scheduled for mid 2018.
If you’re thinking about entering the export market, please refer to the Trade Ready website, a great resource that will provide clear guidance: http://tradeready.dairyaustralia.com.au/