 South Australia is home to producers of some of Australia's highest quality milk and dairy products. Our dairy industry in South Australia began in 1837 with the arrival of the first European settlers. South Australia's dairy industry encompasses three main regions stretching from the southeast through the central zone to the Barassamid North. Today, South Australia is home to more than 250 dairy farms with an excess of 80,000 cows. South Australia's dairy processing is diverse and we have a long history of producing high quality dairy products, including fresh drinking milk, yogurt, cheese and butter. Our dairy industry ranges from large commercial milk processors to niche producers to world-leading boutique artisan cheese makers. The number of milk processing plants in South Australia has more than doubled over the last 20 years, with growth fuelled by the expansion of milk processing, specialised boutique processors and increased demand for premium quality products into export markets. Our local industry has an international recognised safety record with safety and quality programs overseen by DairySafe South Australia, a statutory body acting at both farm and processing plant levels. South Australia's clean and green environment features abundant sunlight, rich soils and pristine water sources. South Australia is forging an international reputation for the quality of our cheese with organic farming and biodynamic dairy production becoming more popular and several artisan producers winning globally recognised awards. Dairy products from South Australia's clean and green environment are used throughout Australia and around the world, including the key export markets of Japan, New Zealand, Korea and China.