According to Potgieter and Van der Vyver(1995) existing import tariffs provide adequate protection against imports, with the result that the abolition of quantitative import control will not impact heavily on the dairy industry This article shows that import tariffs did not restrict imports of dairy products. The main reason for this was the high levels of subsidisation of dairy products in especially the EU. If the domestic milk producer and the dairy industry are not protected against subsidised imports the industry will experience serious problems despite its efficiency.