Analysis Milk
German milk supply still tight
Dairy farmers in Germany continued last year's line in December: milk production was at a low level.
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German dairy farmers delivered 2.583.050 tons to processing companies in December. That is 78.000 tons less than the same month one year earlier and represents a percentage decline of more than 3%. However, the annual seasonal dip in milk supply is behind us. Compared to November, milk supplies increased by approximately 136.000 tons.
Compared to the five-year average, the milk supply was also just under 3% lower. The average milk supply for the month of December was 2.658.750 tons over the past five years. This meant that the milk supply in December 2021 was approximately 75.000 tonnes below the multi-year average volumes.
Annual volume considerably lower
The total annual volume showed a significant decline for the first time in years. Production fell from 32.536.860 tonnes in 2020 to 31.941.080 tonnes last year. A decrease of 595.000 tons, or a minus of 1,7% on an annual basis. The emphasis of the decline was on the second half of the year. The tight supply has also been reflected in the prices for German spot milk for some time. These have been at historically high levels for months.