Cheese production rose 27.6% to 263,675t during the first 6 months (July-December) of the 2021/22 season.  According to Dairy Australia, production of cheddar and non-cheddar varieties in this 6-month period lifted by 29% and 27% respectively. With stronger output of cheese, whey powder output also increased substantially – up 28% for the season-to-date. In the same period, output of fats also lifted slightly – butter and AMF rose by 0.8% and 48.7% (off a small base) respectively. Among major dairy products, only output of SMP declined for the season-to-date, down 6.9% to 96,502t. Meanwhile in the 6 months to January 2022, exports of SMP lifted 23%.

The Dairy Australia-reported information is based on voluntary direct reporting from manufacturers. The data collected covers over 75% of milkfat production (butter and AMF), over 75% of powder production (SMP and WMP), over 90% of cheese production and over 95% of whey production (whey powder).