In early 2014, there were five sheep dairy operations in New Zealand, ranging in size from one small flock of 70 ewes to what we believe to be the largest sheep dairy operator in the world, Blue River Dairy (BRD), with over 20,000 ewes. Two of the five producers are survivors of the industry's early commercial start-up phase in the late 1990s, following the importation of East Friesian sheep in 1992 (Allison 1995; 1996). All the producers are involved in some way in producing cheese or supplying makers of artisan cheese. But the commissioning of Blue River's powder plant in 2013, and the expected supply of sheep milk in 2015 to the dryer unit belonging to Food Innovation Waikato, points to a significant shift in the industry in the last few years.
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