Extreme cold tackles growth in milk production

In total, Dutch processors collected approximately 1,2% less milk in February, compared to 1 year earlier. This means that the volume decreased by 13.369 tons, resulting in 1,10 million tons of milk.

What caused the decline?
If the milk collection is compared with the month of January, there is a decrease of 9,9%. This is a larger drop than is usually seen from January to February. A short period of extreme cold is probably the cause of the decline in the milk production. However, the levels in the milk have not suffered. For example, February records a fat percentage of 4,53%, which brings the fat yield to 50.138 tons.

There are two indications in February that make it unlikely that the size of the dairy herd has changed. On the one hand, everything indicates that dairy farmers are trying to maintain milk production (under the system of phosphate rights). The relatively low slaughter figures and high prices for cows support this. On the other hand, many companies could not do anything, as a result deficiencies in the registration of cattle.

Interim score for 2018
As a result of the lower milk supply in February, the interim figure for 2018 amounts to 2,33 million tons of milk. This means an average of 1,17 million tons of milk per month. This results in a deficit of 0,48% in the total milk supply. This means that the Netherlands has achieved the lowest interim score since 2016.Dutch milk production in recent years.