AUSTRALIAN dairy farmers would have contributed more than usual to the "levies" part of their milk cheque last month.

An increase of 0.0505 cents a kilogram protein and 0.0207c/kg fat for the Animal Health Australia levy came into effect at the beginning of last month.

All suppliers will now contribute 0.058c/kg fat and 0.1385c/kg protein or about $75 a year for the average farm.

Australian Dairy Farmers president Chris Griffin said the increase was the first since 2003 and it was sought by the ADF to address the decline in dairy industry animal health reserves held by AHA.

Without an increase these reserves were estimated to run out in 2013-14, he said.

"Since AHA was created, the dairy industry has partnered with government on many animal health and welfare programs, in such important areas as disease surveillance, emergency animal disease preparedness, training and animal welfare standards development," Mr Griffin said.

One example where the dairy industry teamed up with other sectors includes the $5 million foot and mouth disease management program.

A need to increase this levy was flagged by the industry in 2010.

Meanwhile, a petition will be posted to Dairy Australia today asking the organisation to reveal the salary of its managing director Ian Halliday.

Koroit-based accountant and former dairy farmer Kevin Ashworth is co-ordinating the petition and said there were 162 signatures and he had only received two refusals.

Mr Ashworth said under the Corporations Act, with a minimum of 100 signatures of registered class A members, Dairy Australia would have to reveal the salary.

Describing it as "the right thing to do" because he has dairy farmer clients, Mr Ashworth also said he wants the salary to be made public following a meeting about the Dairy Service Levy in Warrnambool late last year when Mr Halliday didn't reveal his salary.

Total management personnel compensation totalled $2.244 million last year but it wasn't broken down.

This is the second petition in recent months from the southwest of Victoria regards to Dairy Australia.

The first gathered 100 signatures before the annual general meeting in November and it asked Dairy Australia to add a status quo option to the voting paper prior to the Dairy Service Levy poll vote in March.

Dairy Australia chairman Max Roberts said the organisation took such matters seriously, but "until we see it we can't really comment".