Milk intakes by creameries grew by a massive 458m litres in 2021 to reach a record level of 8,754m litres.

This represents an increase of 5.5% when compared with 2020.

The latest data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows that the volume of milk processed by creameries increased from 8,296m litres in 2020 to reach 8,754m litres last year

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A hike in cow numbers and stronger milk prices drove the sharp rise in output through 2021.

Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) figures show that the national dairy herd in June 2021 stood at 1,603,721 cows. This is 2.3% higher or 35,776 more cows than in 2020 when the herd numbered 1,567,945.

Further increases

With the Government now seeking to restrict cow numbers and carbon emissions from the dairy sector, it is questionable if further increases in milk output will be possible in the medium term without farmers facing some level of penalties.

The CSO figures show that butter production increased by almost 4% in 2021, with output totalling an estimated 275,000t. This is up from 265,000t in 2020.

Cheese output was also stronger last year, increasing from 278,000t to 285,000t.

In contrast, provisional figures suggest that production of skim milk powder dropped back marginally in 2021, falling from 150,000t in 2020 to 148,000t last year.

Milk intakes

Milk intakes by creameries and pasteurisers remained strong up to December, the CSO figures confirmed.

An estimated at 256.3m litres were supplied in December 2021. This represents a decrease of 1% when compared with December 2020.

However, the fat content increased from 4.67% in December 2020 to 4.74% in December 2021. The protein content also increased from 3.67% to 3.71% for the same period.