Murray Goulburn managing director Gary Helou.
MURRAY Goulburn’s managing director Gary Helou did not mince his words about the state of the Australian dairy industry at a business networking breakfast in Warrnambool today.
In an address outlining the "new broom" he was taking to Murray Goulburn, Mr Helou criticised the industry’s performance during the past 10 years as “pedestrian” and outlined his change agenda for Murray Goulburn.
“The dairy industry has not been a growth industry,” he said.
Mr Helou, who joined Murray Goulburn last October from SunRise Ricegrowers co-operative, said he had been shocked to learn the industry had lost 18 per cent in milk production during the past 10 years.
He said most players in the Australian dairy industry had been focusing on the domestic market of supplying Woolworths and Coles supermarkets and its share of the world market had dropped from 16 per cent 10 years ago to its present share of five per cent.
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