Ireland produced 1.16 billion litres of milk in May 2023, which represents a minor reduction of 0.1% (-1.5 million litres) compared to May 2022, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

The CSO data also shows that the May 2023 estimate of 1.16 billion litres is also down by 1.4% (-16.6 million litres) when compared with May 2021. These figures indicate a downward trend in the production of domestic milk by creameries and pasteurisers.

Between May 2022 and May 2023, the fat content increased marginally, going from 3.95% to 3.96%. The production of butter grew by 1,100t, from 32,000t in May 2022 to 33,100t in May 2023. On the other hand, at that time the protein content decreased, going from 3.45% to 3.40%.

The data also highlighted that the skim milk powder production fell by 6.4% from 28,300t in May 2022 to 26,400t in May 2023.

Year to date

The report also included estimates of domestic milk production for the months of January through May 2023, which came in at 3.555 billion litres, down 24.6m litres (-0.7%) from the same period in 2022.

Dr Grzegorz Glaczynski, a statistician in the agriculture section of the CSO, said: “The figures show a marginal decrease in domestic milk intake by creameries and pasteurisers of 0.1% in May 2023 when compared with the same month in 2022.”