Abstract

The irrigated dairy industry is an important rural industry and confers significant social and economic benefits to Australia. The future prosperity of irrigated dairying will depend on the efficient use of water resources to overcome: (i) limited irrigation water availability, (ii) rising farm production costs, and (iii) the potential negative impacts of irrigation on the environment. This paper overviews the importance of the irrigated dairy industry to Australia, the production system, industry trends and some of the main challenges facing the industry.