Milk supply for the month of April this year has dropped by 7.9% when compared with 2023, the latest Central Statistics Office (CSO) data has found.

Milk supplied to processors and co-ops was estimated at 947m litres in April 2024, a decrease of 81m litres when compared with April 2023.

While 2024 volumes for April were down 10.2% to 107.6m litres when compared with the same month in 2022, volumes this year are similar to 2019/2020 levels for the same month.

The CSO's figures show that fat content for April 2024 was 4.27%, up from 4.13% in April 2023. Meanwhile, protein content fell from 3.36% to 3.27% in the 12 months to April 2024.

Butter production also fell by 2,100t, from 31,400t in April 2023 to 29,300t in April 2024 - a drop of 6.6%.

Skimmed milk powder production saw a drop also of 2,100t (12.5%), from 16,600t in April 2023 to 14,500t in April 2024.

January to April

For the period January to April 2024, the CSO said that milk supply was estimated at 2,204.6m litres, a decline of 186.3m litres (7.8%) when compared with the same period in 2023, and down by 209.4m litres (8.7%) when compared with January to April 2022.