News Milk
Milk supply is shrinking considerably in the Netherlands
The Dutch milk supply in June shows a growing gap with 2023, compared to the previous months. This is striking, since the Dutch summer so far has been favorable for milk production. The explanation can be found in the significantly higher slaughter figures in the first half of this year.
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The milk supply in June amounted to 1.140.972 tons, according to data from RVO. This is a decrease of 2,2% compared to the same month last year. This increases the difference, because in May the decline was still 1,58%. Cumulatively, the difference in the first half of this year is -1,41% compared to the same period in 2023.
Daily production down
Fat production last month amounted to 49.541 tons. This difference is slightly smaller compared to last year, because the average fat production of 4,34% is slightly higher this year. The average daily production was 38.032 tons in June, compared to 39.067 tons in May.
The milk supply decline of more than 2% may be greater than expected. Processors in our country have indicated in recent weeks that the milk supply is certainly not disappointing expectations, with the relatively mild temperatures (and therefore favorable for milk production) often pointed to as the cause. In addition, the provisional weekly supply figures of ZMB in Germany recently show a recovery.
Significantly more slaughter
However, the increasing decline in Dutch milk production should not be a surprise if we look at cattle slaughter in our country. The weekly slaughter figures in the first half of this year were structurally above last year's level. The high manure disposal costs in combination with dairy farmers retiring are the main causes of this.