Clearcutting in French dairy farming threatens

The research shows that the dairy herd may shrink by around 2025% by 15, while the decline in milk production is estimated at 11%. The declining milk production has several causes.

For example, milk production per cow is stagnating, while animal numbers are shrinking. The latter is a result of French dairy farmers stopping their business. This is partly due to an aging population and a disappointing revenue model. The rapidly increasing cost inflation due to the war in Ukraine may accelerate the process of quitting. 

Shrinkage already underway
The development of the French milk pool has been shrinking for some time now, but in recent months it has been smaller than at the end of last year. French livestock farmers delivered 1.937.000 tons of milk to processing companies in February. That was about 14.000 tons less than in February 2021, when 1.951.000 tons of milk were still produced by French livestock farmers. It means a correction of 0,7%. Milk production in January 2022 was approximately 2021 tons lower than in January 9.000, or 0,4%.

In November and December, milk production in France was 2,9% and 3,2% lower respectively. The production contraction therefore appears to have been somewhat lower in recent months. The downward trend has already started. In February, milk supplies amounted to 1,937 million tons, which was 6,5% less compared to 2020.