In the first seven months of 2017, Irish milk production was up 7.4% on the corresponding period last year, the latest figures from the European Milk Market Observatory (MMO) show.

Compared with other EU member states, Irish milk production is surging ahead, with July production year-on-year up 9.5% to 856m litres.

Overall, in January to July of this year, Irish dairy cows produced some 4.6bn litres of milk, up from 4.3bn in the same period in 2016.

Source: EU MMO

Meanwhile, both French and German milk supplies are recovering after falls in production after quotas were lifted in 2015.

French supplies were down 2.6% and German supplies were down 2.8% for the January to July period of this year compared with 2016.

In the UK, production is recovering also, with supplies down 0.5% for the six-month period.

While the data for France, Germany and the UK shows that supplies are down, the declines are not as steep as those first recorded post-quota and monthly data shows that supplies are recovering.

In eastern Europe, milk production increases are being recorded in Poland (+4.4%), Romania (+5.9%) and in Bulgaria (+9.6%).

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