Dairysafe’s move from Hutt Street to the Waite Precinct has uncovered some historical gems, including photos of the original Metropolitan Milk Board building and annual reports.
Dairysafe (the Dairy Authority of South Australia) has occupied the building at 33 Hutt Street, Adelaide since 1993. The Metropolitan Milk Board built the offices in 1962 and occupied the building until 1993 when it ceased to exist, and new legislation created the Dairy Authority of South Australia.
The Metropolitan Milk Board was established by the Metropolitan Milk Supply Act 1946 to regulate the production, treatment, storage and delivery of milk and cream, and funded by dairy industry levies.
The 1960, 1961 and 1962 Annual Reports (including financial statements) of the Metropolitan Milk Board cover the purchase of 33 Hutt Street property and the construction of the office building.
In the 1960s through to the late 1980s, the building contained significant laboratory facilities, Milk Board administration and sizeable operations.
With deregulation of the dairy industry in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Board became redundant, and the Dairy Authority superseded the Board in 1993.
At 30 June 1993, the Milk Board licensed 635 milk producers, 280 milk vendors, and two milk companies. The levy rates were 2.349 cents per litre for both producers and milk treatment plants. At the time. the Milk Board had 18 employees.
The Milk Board regulated the production, treatment, storage and delivery of milk and cream in the Adelaide metropolitan area, and the metropolitan milk distribution area. The Board conducted laboratory services, fixed milk prices, controlled and zoned retail vendors, and promoted milk and cream.
Dairy farmers outside the metropolitan milk supply area and all other dairy manufacturers continued to be licensed and regulated at the time by the Department of Agriculture. Milk prices at wholesale, semi wholesale and retail outside the metropolitan area were set by the Prices Commissioner under the Prices Act 1948.
