Australia-Thailand dairy alliance

The Australian and Thailand governments are enhancing their cooperation in the dairy sector where both countries share similar challenges, according to a report from the Australian embassy in Thailand.

By engaging in knowledge sharing activities such as the five-day workshop held from April 23 – 27 in Pak Cong, Nakorn Ratchasima province, by the Department of Livestock Development (DLD) in Thailand and Dairy Australia and Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR), dairy players can help respond to the needs of consumers. This workshop in particular provided training developing and formulating total mixed ration in dairy farming systems.

Thailand’s dairy consumption is at 1.2 billion litres.

Thailand is looking to build its dairy capacity to respond to growing market demands. According to the Embassy report, demand for milk and other dairy products is growing steadily in Thailand and around Asia. Thailand’s consumption is at 1.2 billion litres, an increase from 930 million litres in 2010.

Feed management and herd nutrition are key areas of potential improvement for the Thai dairy industry, as they influence production, health and reproductive performance of dairy herds.  Building on the experience of DLD officers and considering what has been learnt in Australian tropical and subtropical dairies, the workshop aimed to strengthen DLD’s capacity to work with local dairy farmers. - Australian Embassy in Thailand