As defined in the Dairy Act 2000:

A dairy farmer is the owner of a dairy farm, and an owner is defined as the:

• Occupier or
  • Person in charge or apparently in charge or
  • Owner's agent or
  • Owner's manager and
  • in the case of a body corporate or uni-corporate, includes the manager, secretary or other controlling officer of that body.
  • A dairy farm is any premises where cows, goats, sheep or buffalo are kept or are milked, for the purpose of producing milk for profit or sale.

Prior to commencing operations as a dairy farmerr, the following must be completed and submitted to Dairy Food Safety Victoria (DFSV).

• A licence application form (with a $161.00 lodgement fee);
• A food safety program (for approval).

All Victorian dairy farmers are required to meet the requirements detailed in the Code of Practice for Dairy Food Safety. The Code of Practice sets the minimum mandatory standards for the production, manufacture, storage and transport of milk and dairy foods to safeguard public health. It must be used in conjunction with the Food Standards Code.

All Victorian dairy farms are required to have a food safety program approved by DFSV that addresses the requirements in the Code of Practice for Dairy Food Safety.

Fees

Click here to calculate your current licence fee

The Dairy Act 2000 gives DFSV the power to set fees for the issue, transfer and renewal of dairy industry licences. Also, the Act requires that the fees be set in consultation with the Victorian dairy industry.

The current licence fees for dairy farmers are as follows:

Option One: By deduction from the milk cheque.

Under this method, fees are calculated on a monthly basis by applying the agreed rate to the previous month's milk production. If a dairy farmer supplies more than one factory, the deduction will apply to milk payments from all sources.

Volume (litres)	Fee 1st July 2009 to 30th June 2010
Total volume supplied	0.0143 cents per litre

Option Two: By direct payment to DFSV.

Under this method, fees are paid annually, in advance, on an estimated production volume.

Volume (litres)	Fee 1st July 2009 to 30th June 2010
Estimated volume	$50 plus 0.0143 cents per litre

Please note that under this option, fees may be subject to adjustment if there is a substantial variation between the estimated and actual production volumes.

Goat and Sheep Farmers

The current licence fees for goat and sheep dairy farmers are as follows:

Volume (litres)	Fee 1st July 2008 to 30th June 2009
Up to 100,000 litres	$54.73
More than 100,000 litres	$109.48