One in 10 jobs are in the dairy sector in Canterbury’s Selwyn district and they are generating 16.6% of its local economy.
Fonterra’s Darfield milk processing site produces one in eight bags of milk powder globally traded.
Further south, dairying is a larger employer producing one in three jobs in Waimate and 57% of its regional Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and one in five jobs and 35% of Southland’s GDP.
These were some of the numbers rolled out by Fonterra Farm Source South Island regional head Mat Cullen at the South Island Dairy Event at Lincoln University.
Mr Cullen said he was preaching to the converted when he said dairying’s local influence was far-reaching as a cornerstone of the national economy.
"If you’re in the South Island it’s even more than that [as it] supports thousands of local jobs and drives real prosperity across the region.
"Whether that’s from farm roles right through to processing, transport and agronomy and rural services ... dairy creates opportunity well beyond the farm gate," he said.
He said dairying was more than today’s milk price as it provided sustainable businesses and growing people and wealth from one generation to the next.
Mr Cullen said the big payment to farmer shareholders by Fonterra from capital returned from the sale of the consumer business and announcement of new chief executive Richard Allen were major talking points among farmers.
DairyNZ chief executive Campbell Parker said dairying was a big contributor to the economy with 83% of exports coming from the primary sector and 45% from dairy.
