In the first 6 of the season, cheese production declined 4% to 216,496t according to Dairy Australia. Cheddar output fell 8% to 109,787t in that period while output of all other cheese varieties were up 1%.

In the six months to December, there were also declines across other major product categories we track, led by milk powders and fats, reflecting lower raw milk supplies. SMP was down 14% for the season to date, while WMP fell 21%. Fat output (in commercial butter equivalent) was down 13%, in line with lower SMP output – led by a 30% fall in AMF output, while butter production declined 6%. Dry whey production declined 1% between July and December, while BMP output fell 17%.