The 2007-08 report from Dairy NZ and Livestock Improvement Corporation has some interesting statistics about the dairy industry in New Zealand.
Dairy statistics:
– According to the report, New Zealand has just over 4 million dairy cows, spread among 11436 herds. The average herd has 351 head of cattle. There are 2.83 cows for every hectare of land devoted to dairying, the highest rate on record for New Zealand.
– In 2007/08, dairy companies processed 14.7 billion litres of milk containing 1.27 billion kilograms of milksolids. Total milksolids processed declined 3.5% from the 1.32 billion kilograms processed in the previous season, due to summer/autumn drought conditions experienced in many regions.
The report is free to download and constitutes a great reference guide for those writing about the dairy industry.
Regional distribution of dairy herds 2007 – 2008
(click on image to see large)
