Sino-Australia Dairy Research and Training Program (SADRAT)

The Sino-Australia Dairy Research and Training Program (SADRAT) was set up at a workshop in Beijing in April 2002. The workshop was funded by AusIndustry, with additional funding from the International Development Fund of the University of Sydney, and from the University of New South Wales.

The Australian team of ten comprised academics from the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales, and industry representatives from the Australian Dairy Corporation and Murray-Goulburn Cooperative Ltd. The Chinese collaborators were Professor Zhang Cungen Institute of Agricultural Economics, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and A/Professor Li Shengli of China Agricultural University.

It was agreed at the workshop that the major goals of SADRAT should be:

• To improve the production of high quality milk
• To liaise with nutrition, health and medical groups to improve Chinese consumers' understanding of the benefits of milk to human nutrition

And that the main groups targeted for further training should be:

• Small farmers
• Veterinary officers in dairy advisory work
• Extension stations/model farms
• Professional development for senior staff at Chinese universities and academies to assist train the trainers in the long-term

Funds will be sought for the first agreed activity which will be a visit of Chinese nutritionists and agricultural scientists to Australia in 2003 to establish training and research programs.

Towards a Sino-Australia Dairy Research and Training Program (SADRAT) Proceedings