The principal objective of the 1980 survey was to determine the average net farm income received by town milk producers in New Zealand. Information produced by the survey is used for a variety of purposes. It assists decisions concerning applications for price increases from specific producer groups. The national average cost and return results are also used as standards with which cost and return figures derived from smaller regional surveys can be compared. The survey data obtained each year also provide a continuing set of statistics on the economic position of town supply dairy farms. The availability of such information is of value to the individual farmer, regional advisers, and government policy makers.