News Milk
Decline in Dutch milk supply significantly increases
The Dutch milk supply shows a growing lag in June compared to 2023, compared to the previous months. This is remarkable, considering that the Dutch summer so far has been favorable for milk production. Nevertheless, the explanation can be found in the significantly higher slaughter numbers in the first half of this year.
In June, the milk supply amounted to 1,140,972 tons, according to RVO data. This is a decrease of 2.2% compared to the same month last year. As a result, the difference is increasing, as in May the decrease was 1.58%. Cumulatively, the difference in the first half of this year is -1.41% compared to the same period in 2023.
Decrease in daily production
The fat production last month was 49,541 tons. This difference is slightly smaller compared to last year, as the average fat production of 4.34% this year is slightly higher. The average daily production in June was 38,032 tons, compared to 39,067 tons in May.
The milk supply decrease of over 2% may be larger than expected. Processors in our country have indicated in recent weeks that the milk supply is certainly not disappointing compared to expectations, often attributing the relatively mild temperatures (and thus favorable for milk production) as the cause. In addition, the preliminary weekly supply figures from ZMB in Germany have recently shown a recovery.
Significantly more slaughters
However, the increasing decline in Dutch milk production may not be surprising when we look at the cattle slaughters in our country. The weekly slaughter figures in the first half of this year were consistently above last year's level. The high manure disposal costs combined with dairy farmers exiting the industry are the main causes of this.
