Inside Milk
Irish milk supply reaches seasonal dip
Milk production in Ireland has reached its seasonal low in January. The figures are not surprising, by the way, because the milk supply is almost equal to the level of previous years. How much milk did Irish dairy farmers produce in the first month of the year?
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In the first month of the new year, Irish milkers produced 182.860 tonnes of milk. It is an increase of about 0,7% compared to last year's level. Then in the same month, 181.440 tonnes of milk was collected by Irish processors. This means that the Irish milk supply has the seasonal dip reaches. The low point this year is approximately 5,7% higher than the 5-year average of 172.900 tons of milk.
Higher milk prices, suspension of levies
The fact that Irish milk production is higher than in other years is partly due to the good market for milk proteins and fats. Demand is currently greater than supply, meaning livestock farmers receive a good price for their product. There are even rumors that milk prices in the country will be increased by another €0,02 per liter. What also plays a role in this is that the Irish dairy herd continues to grow rapidly. Between 2011 and 2019, the country's dairy herd increased by 37%. After all, more cows often also means more milk.
There is more good news for the Irish dairy sector. Last week it was announced that all duties that the United States introduced on Irish dairy products in 2019 will be suspended. The 25% tariff was applied to butter, cheese and cream from Ireland. The value of the Irish agri-food sector affected by the levy was approximately €422 million.
In the coming months, the Irish milk supply is expected to make significant increases again. The peak in milk production is usually reached in May. It is expected to be higher again this year than a year ago.