Inside Milk
Milk supply Italy dips below 2018 level
Dairy farmers in Italy produced slightly less milk in August than last year. This is somewhat striking, because the milk supply in the previous months was still above that level. In contrast, France produced slightly more milk, according to new figures from the European Commission.
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Italian dairy farmers produced 932.610 tons of milk in August, which is about 1% less than last year. Came that year milk production in this month it amounts to 940.750 tons of milk. It is the first time since April that milk supplies in Italy have fallen below last year's levels.
On the other hand, Italian milk production is still well above the 5-year average. This average is 900.050 tons, which means that milk production is approximately 3,6% higher this year. When we look at the seasonal trend, it is expected that milk supply will also decrease next month. After that, a slight increase is expected again.
France produces more
An opposite trend is visible in France. Dairy farmers from France have been producing below last year's level all year, but increased production in August. In this month, 1,925 million tons of milk was produced, compared to 1,910 million tons in the same period last year. This is a difference of approximately 0,8%.
When we look at the 5-year average, a small gap is still visible. The 5-year average for the month of August is approximately 0,07% higher: 1,926 million tons of milk versus 1,925 million tons of milk.