News Milk
German milk production lowest since 2013
The German milk production took a significant hit in August and dropped to the lowest level in 12 years. The Italian milk production also plummeted, as did that of Belgium. In France, the supply remains fairly stable.
The Dutch milk supply figures for September are already known, but the statistics of other member states are often a bit delayed. New data from Eurostat shows a significant production decline, confirming market expectations. In recent months, butter and cheese prices have risen sharply, although the market has recently eased a bit.
Germany
The German milk supply is the most striking. With 2.55 million tons, the August supply is the lowest since 2012 and also since the abandonment of the European milk quota in 2015. Compared to a year earlier, there is a visible decline of a whopping 5.5%. This decline is accelerating, as in July the decrease was less than 1.5%. In the months prior, the supply was still above last year's level. The sharp decline is likely related to outbreaks of bluetongue disease.
Belgium
Belgium also experiences a significant production decline for the same reason. With 375,000 tons, the August supply was 2.6% below last year's level. Similar to Germany, the decline continues to deepen. The production growth seen in 2023 has been nullified by the decline.
Italy
In Italy, milk production is also declining rapidly. With 984,000 tons, the supply was 5.38% below last year's level. Additionally, the supply fell below last year's level for the first time this year. Italy is also affected by bluetongue disease in dairy farming, especially on the island of Sardinia. However, this island hardly plays a significant role in the supply of cow's milk. The supply was likely affected by the extremely warm weather in August.
France
The milk supply in France has been a stable factor in Europe throughout the year and has been above last year's level for the entire 2024. With 1.86 million tons, the August supply was 0.8% higher than last year. Nevertheless, there is a decline, as the lead in July was almost 2.5%.
Earlier, we reported that the Irish milk supply is also below last year's level. Among the major producing countries, Poland is showing rapid growth. The country is on track to surpass the Netherlands this year as the third largest milk producer within the European Union.
