Apply to grow NSW dairy industry

6 Jul 2017

A new round of the NSW Government’s Dairy Industry Fund will open on July 18, with up to $700,000 available to support projects and initiatives which will contribute to the growth, profitability, sustainability and resilience of the NSW dairy industry.

NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) deputy director general DPI Agriculture and chair of the Dairy Industry Fund Steering Committee, Michael Bullen, said the $1 million fund has a track record in supporting successful projects.

“This round offers $700,000 for project proposals which are aligned with the strategies developed in the NSW Dairy Industry Strategic Action Plan,” Mr Bullen said.

“The industry aims to grow markets for NSW milk, build industry confidence, support strategic farm business transition and improve farm productivity.

“This is a significant opportunity to boost the value of NSW’s dairy industry, which produces more than one billion litres of milk and contributes $584 million to the state’s economy each year.”

Funding applications are open to individuals, universities, research organisations, consultants, not-for-profit organisations, state and local government, farmers and community groups – joint applications showing collaboration are encouraged.

Applicants should first submit a brief preliminary project proposal, which will be assessed by the Dairy Industry Fund Steering Committee, representing the three Dairy Australia Regional Development Programs, Dairy NSW, Murray Dairy and Subtropical Dairy, and the two farmer advocacy bodies, NSW Farmers Dairy Committee and Dairy Connect.

Successful applicants will be invited to prepare a full project proposal and have the opportunity to present a summary to the Dairy Industry Fund Advisory Committee for feedback prior to their final submission.

Preference will be given to projects which demonstrate significant scale to the benefits they would bring to the NSW dairy industry.

Mr Bullen said Project 20:20 Pathways to Change, was a good example of a successful project showcasing the feedbase, people, business, natural resource management and herd performance of best practice farms across the state.

“Detailed guidelines outline the application process and the types of projects which are eligible for funding,” he said.

Applications are open from July 18 until August 18 2017, more information and application forms are available from DPI, www.dpi.nsw.gov.au

Photographs available from bernadette.york@dpi.nsw.gov.au

Media contact: Bernadette York (02) 6938 1664, 0427 773 785