Italy, Poland and UK milk differently than the Netherlands

The United Kingdom and Poland have been showing growth figures for months. After a dip in April, Italy is also back above the 2018 level, according to the supply figures that the countries have submitted to the European Commission. 

The month of May is traditionally the peak month in the United Kingdom's milk supply. The British supply this month amounts to more than 1,43 million tons, which is almost 1,5% higher than in 2018. However, the difference with previous months has become a lot smaller. Then dairy farmers benefited from favorable weather conditions. Supply figures for June are also trickling in, which are approximately 1% higher than last year, so the UK appears to be maintaining its current growth level.

Poland at its peak
Poland also always supplies the most milk of the season in May. In the Eastern European country, however, milk supplies took a noticeable bend. While milk production had been well above last year's level all year, the difference suddenly became minimal in May. Supplies increased by 0,2% to more than 1,09 million tons. What this means for the rest of the season remains to be seen.

Fickle production
Milk production in Italy has been volatile during this period in recent years. For a long time, a peak in milk supply in May was obvious, but in recent years this has sometimes already been reached in March or April. The weather conditions are partly to blame for this. For example, last year the peak was in April, while this year the highest volume was already achieved in March.

However, the production figures for March, April and May are remarkably constant: all in the 1,09 million tons. This is also exactly the production of Poland in May. While Italian production in April was below the 2018 level, it rose again in May with a plus of 0,86% to 1,092 million tons.