These are unprecedented times. At the time of printing COVID-19 continues to spread at an alarming rate and our governments are doing everything they can to stop it.
This includes imposing harsh restrictions on social and business activity, shutting down state borders, and banning non-essential travel.
Basic household necessities like toilet paper, hand sanitiser, meat and, at times, milk remain a rare commodity on many supermarket shelves.
The pleas of Prime Minister Scott Morrison for shoppers to stop their panic-buying have clearly fallen on deaf ears.
But while this continues to play out, federal and state governments have acknowledged the importance of maintaining a continuous supply of food for Australia's 25 million residents.
This is a relief for all food production, but particularly dairy, because it means that all dairy operations will remain unaffected during these escalating restrictions. That being said, it is important that we also ensure that all ancillary support services that underpin business activity also remain unaffected.
This includes ensuring supply chains remain open to manage product flows, allowing factory workers to move across sites and enabling service providers, such as feed companies, rural stores, equipment providers and engineering companies, to perform their roles.
These measures are critical to ensuring the dairy industry can keep retail stores stocked and households and food-service facilities (e.g. child care, schools) are provided for.
The Australian Dairy Industry Council went so far as to write to all federal and state agriculture and health ministers seeking their support in maintaining dairy operations.
The Australian dairy industry is taking the impact of COVID-19 extremely seriously.
The Australian Dairy Industry Council has convened a National Response Group to provide guidance to federal and state governments and a united voice on behalf of the Australian dairy industry.
Providing a safe work environment for all workers in the dairy supply chain remains a priority for the dairy industry.
In these challenging times, dairy manufacturers and farmers together with others in the supply chain have been working to keep milk flowing and on shelves without risking the health of those working in dairy businesses.
A whole-of-industry working group has been collaborating to manage issues related to COVID-19 and is comprised of representatives from Australian Dairy Farmers, Australian Dairy Products Federation and Dairy Australia.
COVID-19 presents challenges for all agricultural sectors and the working group is responding to issues as they emerge by developing industry specific advice to support dairy businesses.
Dairy Australia has prepared extensive resources around managing the impact of COVID-19, and I encourage you to look at them if you are uncertain about how your business could be affected.
If you have an employee who has just returned from overseas, if you're concerned about whether you will be able to still buy everything you need for your business, if you need tips on how to protect yourself against the virus, you can find this information there.
Life will undoubtedly change for all of us over the next few months and no doubt longer term as well. But whatever happens, Australians will still need dairy. The dairy industry still has a vital role to perform. During this time, I urge you to stay safe and carry on - business as usual but with all the safeguards necessary to ensure you, your family and your employees remain healthy.
See the Dairy Australia resources directory at website https://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/about-dairy-australia/about-the-industry/dairy-industry-covid19-directory.
