October 15, 2022
UK milk output up in September
Based on daily delivery data, UK milk deliveries are expected at 981 million litres, 0.6% higher compared to 2021’s 5-year low of 975 million litres and slightly down at 0.4% compared to the 5-year average for the month, the UK Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board reported.
Average daily deliveries for the last 10 days of the month were 33.3 million litres, an increase of 1.8% from the same period previous year due to low yields. Farmers had been struggling with rising feed prices for a while, as well as rising energy and fertiliser costs, in September 2021, but there had been no increase in milk prices.
Improved weather conditions and increased grass growth are most likely the reason for the greater deliveries observed through September. Data from AHDB's Forage for Knowledge programme demonstrates how the increase in grass growth correlates with times when average daily deliveries are greater in both the beginning and the end of the month.
According to the most recent UK milk production projections (2022/23 season), total production will be 0.8% lower than last year, with potential room for additional declines if herds are streamlined to save feed costs. Although it appears that September production benefited from healthy grass growth, there is still a chance that yields will return to the patterns we've observed throughout the year if greater feed purchases put a pressure on working capital.
- Reuters