About the Dairy CRC
The Cooperative Research Centre for Innovative Dairy Products (Dairy CRC) is a research project set up by the Australian dairy industry and Federal Government. It undertakes research for the CRC in dairy genetics and advanced breeding technologies.
- $90 million project
- seven years from 2001 to 2008
- over 70 scientists
Australian Dairy Industry
 Have you ever wondered how many cows there are in Australia or how much milk we drink in a year? Perhaps not, but the figures make interesting reading.
There are over 10,500 dairy farms in Australia with over two and a half million cows. Each cow produces about 4,800 litres of milk per year. Do your maths - how many litres of milk per year?
The dairy industry is big business - the third biggest rural industry in Australia, with a total value of $8.5 billion. Australia exported about $2.5 billion worth of dairy produce during 2003 which is a significant proportion of Australia's rural exports. Australia is the world's third largest dairy exporter, accounting for 17% of worldwide dairy product exports.
On the home front, the average Australian consumes 97 litres of milk, 12 kilograms of cheese, 3.2 kilograms of butter and 5.4 kilograms of yoghurt every year. No wonder there are a lot of cows!
For more information on the Australian dairy industry, visit http://www.dairyaustralia.com.au
Research and Development
The Dairy CRC is applying cutting-edge genetic technologies to improve Australia's dairy herd productivity and to create new milk products for the global market place.
The Dairy CRC's Gene Discovery Program isolates, identifies and determines the function of specific genes in the dairy cow, such as those that impact on lactation and disease resistance.
The Delivery Technologies Program focuses on delivering improved genetics to the dairy cow through a range of technologies including cloning.
The Business Development Program ensures research results deliver benefits to the dairy industry.
Students' Research Locations
- Monash University (Monash Institute of Medical Research)
- The University of Melbourne
- The University of Sydney
- CSIRO Livestock Industries
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