Inside Milk
French milk supply ends weak period
French milk production has shown some recovery after a weak start in the first 3 months of the year. The volumes produced in April were around the 5-year averages. Milk supply in April 2021 was also greater than in the same month a year earlier.
Read this article?
Become a subscriber and get instant access
Choose the subscription that suits you
During the first 3 months of the year, volumes were slightly smaller than average. French dairy farmers supplied a total of 2.197.370 tonnes of milk to French processors in April. Production was therefore virtually the same as that of the previous month. In March, 2.201.000 tons of milk were collected from French dairy farmers.
Weak period ended
French milk production was therefore higher than in April 2020 and thus concludes a longer period of somewhat weaker milk production. In January, February and March, the French milk supply was continuously below the level of the previous year. The cool weather in the first months of the year also affected production in France.
Traditionally, the French milk supply peaks in the months of March, April and May, with the last month often being the peak. It is therefore expected that production in May will have grown slightly before the seasonal contraction starts in June.
French dairy herds have shrunk considerably
The number of cows present on French dairy farms has decreased considerably in the past 5 years. This is evident from recently published figures from the European Statistical Office (Eurostat). While a total of 2015 cows were counted in 3.637.020, in 2020 that number had shrunk to a total of 3.454.980 dairy cattle. This means a decrease of 182.040 units (-5%). With virtually unchanged milk production compared to the 5-year average, this means that efficiency in French dairy farming continues to improve.