News Milk
Dutch milk production has never been as high as it is now
Dutch milk production has set a new record for March. Measured in litres, production was higher in 2016 and 2017, but due to higher contents in the milk, fat production has reached a new all-time high.
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Dutch milk production last month amounted to 1,23 million tons. This is an increase of 3,77% compared to the same month last year. This means that the year-on-year increase is slightly lower than in February, when supply was almost 4% above the 2022 level.
Thick milk
The average fat percentage was 4,59 in March, which means that 'fat milk' is being produced. This is also clearly reflected in the fat production, which amounts to 56.575 tons. Never before has so much milk fat been produced. Not even in 2016 and 2017 when the milk quota had just been released and Dutch milk production skyrocketed. Expressed in liters, the supply was higher at the time, but fat production was lower due to lower levels.
Milk production in the Netherlands will increase further in April and May. Fat production probably decreases, as the levels in milk usually decrease towards the summer months.
Low spot milk price
The high supply figures are indicative of low spot milk prices. The DCA spot milk quotation in the Netherlands has been hovering around the level of €30 per 100 kilos for weeks. This is far below the payout prices and commodity value of milk.