February 22, 2018

New Zealand milk production to suffer slight decline of 1% in 2017

New Zealand's milk production this year is likely to decline by just 1% at 21.4 million tonnes from 2017 despite abnormal weather patterns during October 2017 through January 2018, according to a report released by the US Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA-FAS).

The erratic weather and the 1% decline in production would also not adversely affect milk exports, it added. 

The USDA-FAS likewise revised its cow number estimates downward to 4.9 million head from initial estimates of 4.95 million head. "This is likely to reduce potential milk production during August to December 2018", it said.

New Zealand's milk production in 2017 declined 1% to 21.53 million tonnes compared with the previous year due also to bad weather in August to October, characterised by cold and wet conditions over most of the country.

The report said that new industry data also showed that for the first time since 2006 there was a significant reduction in the dairying land area in 2017. From 1.752 million hectares in 2016 it dropped to 1.729 million hectares in 2017.

Dairy cows numbered 4.861million head in 2017, or 39,000 head less than previously estimated (0.8%).