Dairy farmers Nic and Kirsty Verhoek and their children Ferguson, Isabelle and Lachlan raise glasses of milk to toast World Milk Day.
Dairy farmers Nic and Kirsty Verhoek and their children Ferguson, Isabelle and Lachlan raise glasses of milk to toast World Milk Day.
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Dairy has long been the powerhouse of the New Zealand economy, significantly contributing to local communities and regional economies, while providing quality and trusted nutrition around the world.
DairyNZ and the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ) are excited to toast these achievementsthis World Milk Day, June 1.
“World Milk Day is a great opportunity to celebrate the role of our farmers, dairy companies and the whole sector in progressing a positive future for New Zealand,” DairyNZ chief executive Campbell Parker said.
The international day was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to recognise the importance of milk as a global food and to celebrate the dairy sector.
“The milk produced by New Zealand farmers is equivalent to two and half serves of dairy per day for 90 million people,” Parker said.
“This nutritional contribution starts with our farmers’ commitment to their land and animals and flows through the whole value chain to benefit our customers, communities and the country.”
DCANZ executive director Kimberly Crewther said the high-quality milk supplied by farmers was transformed into more than 1500 different dairy products and product formulations, exported to over 130 countries, and provided one in every four dollars New Zealand earned from trade.
“The sector’s success is due to a huge team effort by farmers, dairy company employees and the many partner industries our dairy farms, processors and exporters couldn’t function without,” Crewther said.
The Waikato Verhoek dairy farming family of Waikato say cheers to Kiwi milk.
Dairy generated $25.5 billion in export revenue in the year ended April 2024 and provided direct employment for approximately 55,000 people both on and off-farm.
Crewther said milk was a nutritional powerhouse and a top five source of supply of 23 of the 29 essential nutrients within the global food system.
This includes 48 per cent of dietary calcium supply and 12 per cent of protein for only 7 per cent of calories.
Listen to Jamie Mackay interview farmer-elected director on the DairyNZ board, Cameron Henderson on The Country below:
“Dairy products make an important contribution to diets at every stage of life”.
Parker said World Milk Day was an opportunity to acknowledge how central dairy could be to communities – with dairy farmers often contributing to local volunteering, education, conservation, mentoring and emergency services.
“The dairy sector is an industry I find very easy to get out of bed for every day and get excited about, and DairyNZ will continue working hard to ensure Kiwi dairy farmers remain profitable, sustainable and internationally competitive into the future,” Parker said.
Crewther said the dairy sector was a source of a diverse range of careers for New Zealanders, whether it was farming, advancing dairy science, manufacturing dairy products, connecting New Zealand products with global customers through sales and logistics, or one of the many other roles that support the whole sector to run smoothly.
“With our links around the world, there are exciting opportunities on farms, in dairy companies and dairy sector organisations.
“The sky’s the limit in our dynamic dairy sector.”
Key facts and figures about dairy
NZ dairy sector:
More than 10,500 Kiwi dairy farms
Around 4.7 million milking cows
Over 20 billion litres of milk produced a year
More than 1500 dairy products and product formulations
$25.5 billion in export revenue in the year ended April 2024
Around 55,000 people are employed in dairy throughout the country, both on and off farms.
Milk nutrition:
Milk is a nutrient-dense food and an essential part of a balanced diet.
As a nutritional powerhouse, milk makes up a high contribution to a range of nutrients. Overall, milk is a top five source of supply for 23 of 29 essential nutrients within the global food system.
Milk supplies 7 per cent of global calories and contributes 12 per cent of global protein.
Milk accounts for the supply of 48 per cent of dietary calcium, 24 per cent of Vitamin B2, 18 per cent of lysine, and more than 10 per cent of a further five essential amino acids, vitamins A, B5 and B12, phosphorous and potassium.
