Inside Milk
Irish milk supply is up again, where is the limit?
In July, milk production in the United Kingdom was reduced compared to last year. Irish dairy farmers, on the other hand, continue to increase their milk production, to what extent can production continue this growth?
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Both countries have reached the annual peak in May and are now steadily working towards the trough again. It is therefore not surprising that the milk supply for July is lower than for June. If milk production is compared with last year's level, it can be seen that British production has fallen while Irish production is increasing its lead.
In England, a total of approximately 1.298 million kilos of milk was produced, a decrease of almost 0,5% compared to the same period last year. The milk supply is approximately 2,6% above the 5-year average of 1.266 million kilos.
Ireland
Irish dairy farmers managed to produce 1.013 kilos of milk in the month of July. The level is therefore 4,3% higher than in the same period last year and is even 10,8% above the 5-year average of approximately 914 kilos of milk. This continues the growing trend that started in March. In April the milk supply achieved the largest lead, but in the following months production also recorded a number of percent above last year.
Milk production has grown over the years and in recent months production has been significantly above the 5-year average. Can this level continue to grow? That's what Jerry Long, the chairman of the Irish Cooperative Organization Society (ICOS), wonders.
The annual general meeting of the ICOS took place on Monday 14 September. During this online meeting, a lot of attention was paid to the performance of the dairy sector over the past 10 years and the growing milk supply. Long: "We have to ask ourselves whether we can actually continue growth at such a rapid pace." He added that there are also legal obligations in the areas of climate change, nitrogen emissions and biodiversity as well as consumer expectations regarding animal welfare.
milk prices
Dairygold announced on September 17 that the milk price for August will remain unchanged. Aurivo also does not make any price changes. On the other hand, Carberry Group has increased its milk price for the month in question. The board has announced that it will increase the price by 0,5 cents per liter.