Dairy calf births in 2015 and 2016 suggest a move away from liquid milk production to lower-cost spring milk, according to the IFA. In 2015, dairy births for the year were up 8.5%. But for the autumn, they were down by 16%.
Again this year, dairy calf births have risen further, by 5.5% to date, but the lower autumn calving trend continues, with September and October calvings to date down by 12.41%.
“With Brexit on the horizon, is it wise to let this trend continue, where all young, and some older, farmers are pushed to spring milk production for export?,” IFA president Joe Healy asked the crowd at the liquid milk rally in Portlaoise on Tuesday night.
The liquid milk sector in numbers:
11% of Ireland’s dairy farmers are currently contracted to supply fresh milk.138 litres of milk per head, per year are consumed in Ireland.It is very striking that the number of new entrants to liquid milk is close to zero
A total of 460m litres of fresh milk were produced in 2015.€530m is the value of the fresh milk market in the Republic of Ireland. Around €400m of this is produced in the Republic of Ireland.“It is a fact that this valuable product in our national product mix costs considerably more to produce year-round than spring milk destined for export,” Healy said. “We want to focus on how fresh, locally produced supplies of this very valuable product within our dairy industry will only be sustained if farmers are remunerated in a way that covers their higher winter costs, and recognises the labour and lifestyle burdens the year-round nature of the business involves.”
The IFA is calling for fair farmer remuneration and a recognition that is must be factored into the chain’s distribution of margins.
“There can be no complacency about the availability of fresh, high quality, locally produced milk for consumers.”
Read more
Record volume of milk imported in 2015
Dairy calf births in 2015 and 2016 suggest a move away from liquid milk production to lower-cost spring milk, according to the IFA. In 2015, dairy births for the year were up 8.5%. But for the autumn, they were down by 16%.
Again this year, dairy calf births have risen further, by 5.5% to date, but the lower autumn calving trend continues, with September and October calvings to date down by 12.41%.
“With Brexit on the horizon, is it wise to let this trend continue, where all young, and some older, farmers are pushed to spring milk production for export?,” IFA president Joe Healy asked the crowd at the liquid milk rally in Portlaoise on Tuesday night.
The liquid milk sector in numbers:
11% of Ireland’s dairy farmers are currently contracted to supply fresh milk.138 litres of milk per head, per year are consumed in Ireland.It is very striking that the number of new entrants to liquid milk is close to zero
A total of 460m litres of fresh milk were produced in 2015.€530m is the value of the fresh milk market in the Republic of Ireland. Around €400m of this is produced in the Republic of Ireland.“It is a fact that this valuable product in our national product mix costs considerably more to produce year-round than spring milk destined for export,” Healy said. “We want to focus on how fresh, locally produced supplies of this very valuable product within our dairy industry will only be sustained if farmers are remunerated in a way that covers their higher winter costs, and recognises the labour and lifestyle burdens the year-round nature of the business involves.”
The IFA is calling for fair farmer remuneration and a recognition that is must be factored into the chain’s distribution of margins.
“There can be no complacency about the availability of fresh, high quality, locally produced milk for consumers.”
Read more
Record volume of milk imported in 2015
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