Inside Milk
European milk supply ahead of last year
While the milk supply in the European Union in June was below last year's level, it is just slightly above that level in July. This is according to new figures from the European Commission.
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Dairy farmers in the European Union produced a total of 13,61 million tonnes of milk in July, which is the same as in the last month. This is quite striking, given that milk production usually shows a decline between June and July. This also ensures that the European milk supply is higher than last year, when milk production in July amounted to 13,53 million tons (-0,5%).
Although European milk production has been stable for almost the entire year compared to last year, it is above the level of the 5-year average. The average for the month of July is 13,37 million tons of milk, which is approximately 1,8% less than this year. The fact that the average is considerably lower is partly because milking was below average in 2016. In that year, milk production in July amounted to 13,03 million tons of milk.
Decline ahead
Although the month of July breaks the trend by not starting a decline, it is expected that the milk supply will decrease in the coming month. For example, the first milk production figures for the month of August show this Poland produces 2,5% less. Ireland and the United Kingdom are also slowing down milk production in August.