Kategorie: News

In Finland in 2021 total of 2206 million litres of milk were produced. This was four percent less than in 2020. The production of liquid dairy products decreased by one percent, production of butter decreased seven percent and production of cheese decreased three percent. Source: Natural Resources Institute Finland.

In France in 2021 523 cows produced more than 100 000 kilogram milk. They were kept on 451 farms. Of the cows 517 were black and white Holstein Friesians, six were red and white.

In Austria analyses of a regional chamber of agriculture on base of sample of a milk recording program shows that organic dairy cows are more susceptible to ketosis. In 2020 of milk recording samples of organic cows 28 percent showed a higher or a high risk for ketosis while of regular cows this was 13 percent. In 2021 of milk recording samples of organic cows 18 percent showed a higher or a high risk for ketosis while of regular cows this was 7 percent.

In Austria, from October 2020 till October 2021, were 83.6 percent of all dairy cows (2020: 82.5%) in a milking recording program. Milk recording was done of 435426 dairy cows on 18435 farms. This was 1.7 percent less farms but 1.8 percent more cows. Across all breeds the average milk production was 7817 kilogram milk with 4.16 percent fat and 3.34 percent protein. This was 79 kilogram less milk, 0.02 percentage more fat and an equal percentage protein. The average herd size on the recorded farms has increased slightly from 22.8 to 23.6 cows.

In Austria, agriculture as a whole accounts for around ten percent of greenhouse gas emissions, of which the dairy industry accounts for five percent.

In Germany in December 2021 compared to November 2021 the raw material or compound value of milk at farm increased 2.3 eurocent to 52.4 eurocent per kilogram milk with 4.0 percent fat and 3.4 percent protein (exclusive VAT). This is 20.7 eurocent (65 percent) more than in the same month one year before. The highest future price of milk for the next 18 months on the Kieler Börsenmilchwert European Energy Exchange is the price for February 2022 at 56.1 eurocent. The lowest future price is the price for April 2023 at 46.5 eurocent.

In Germany the Switzerland headquartered global private food company Nestlé launches its first German climate dairy farm. The aim of the pilot project is to reduce the footprint of a farm to zero emissions. Over a period of three years, Nestlé Germany will support a dairy farm of its long-standing supplier the dairy cooperative Hochwald. ‎The family farm with 135 cows and is to become a model for other farmers. The project is led by the University of Applied Sciences Nürtingen-Geislingen (HfWU), with scientific and technical advice from the project partners Thünen Institute of Business Administration and the Lake Constance Foundation.‎ ‎Step by step will be taken around 30 defined measures to reduce greenhouse gases as much as possible. This means, for example: optimal feeding of the cows, gas-tight slurry storage, construction of a biogas plant, energy generation through photovoltaic systems and optimized herd management of the cows, which ensures an increased milk yield. At the same time, more humus is built up through regenerative management of arable and grassland and hedges and trees are planted so that more greenhouse gases can be stored. The „climate dairy farm“ is also reducing its use of pesticides and mineral fertilizers.‎ ‎The aim is to get the emissions of the operation in the pilot project to net zero after three to five years in the model. ‎‎Of course, it takes decades until hedges and trees grow really large and the soil has built up enough humus but in the project they are therefore modelling how much CO2 the plants and soil can really store.‎ ‎Nestlé is committed to halving its global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and becoming a net-zero company along the entire value chain by 2050. Two-thirds of Nestlé’s greenhouse gases are produced in agriculture. Milk is responsible for most of the emissions, according to Nestlé.‎

Germany had in May 2021 a number of 55800 dairy farms which was 4.3 percent less than on year before and 36 percent less than ten years before. In 2021 the number of dairy cows was 3.891 million which was 2.0 percent less than one year before and 7.0 percent less than ten years before. In 2021 dairy farms had average 70 dairy cows. Nineteen percent of the farms had 100 or more cows and together they kept 57 percent of the German herd. One percent of the dairy farms had 500 or more cows and those farms together kept 12 percent of the German dairy cow herd. (Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany)

In Belgium, after the Holland headquartered private dairy Royal A-ware has taken over the milk powder towers in Aalter from the Holland headquartered dairy cooperative FrieslandCampina, it now will invest ten million euro in increased the production capacity of the Aalter plant. Also Royal A-ware is looking for other Belgian milk processing plants to take over. This with the aim to increase market share in Belgium, according to the CEO of A-ware.

Holland had in December 2021 a number of 15489 farms/locations where was milked. Totally they used 18477 milking systems, including robots. Most used was still the herringbone parlour with 4776 parlours which was 366 less than at the end of 2020, followed by 4679 robotic milkers, 166 more than one year before. The number of side-by-side parlours decreased with 59 to total 3762 parlours. Next were rotary parlours of which the number decrease with 21 to 896. The number of tied barns decreased with 60 to a number of 739. The number of swing-over parlours decreased with four to total 463 parlours, the number of tandem parlours decreased with 29 to 344.

In Holland again there was an explosion in a modern freestall barn with a certified low ammonia exhaust label. Also this third barn had a so called semi closed floor with a manure pit underneath. Ammonia and methane from the manure can hardly emit which makes this type of barn environmental friendly according to official guidelines. It is unclear yet what caused the explosion. It happened during mixing the manure. The concrete floor came up one metre and fell back into the manure pit and broke. Twenty cows fell also in the manure pit. The fire brigade with help of a crane and making a stairs from straw bales took the cows out of the pit.

A Dutch desk study shows that a human food menu without dairy products hardly has influence on the CO2 food print. This because the dairy products are substituted by vegetable products and fish that have a CO2 food print that is the same of the substituted dairy products. However: the consumer price of the non-dairy menu is higher.

The Dutch feed supplier ForFarmers has developed a product that can lower the somatic cell count in milk when this is increased by gram-positive bacteria. The product added to the feed can lower the somatic cell count with 50000 cells per millilitre. The product is not on the market yet.

In Holland in 2021 84.0 percent of the dairy farms has led graze their cows on pasture. In 2020 this was 83.7 percent. In 2021 77.9 percent was pasturing all the cows at least 120 days of at least six hours on pasture and 6.1 percent was pasturing at least 25 percent of the cows. In 2016 this was 70.5 percent and 8.4 percent, so more farms pasture all the cows.

In Holland the dairy cooperative Royal FrieslandCampina sees opportunities to admit new members. RFC wants to maintain the scale of its milk processing until 2030. RFC states that existing member dairy farms will be able to grow in volume and that new members will be permitted to join the dairy cooperative. This will be fleshed out in more detail in conjunction with the company, cooperative’s members, and the Members’ Council over the next few months as part of the assessment of the member recruitment policy.

In the United Kingdom in January the dairy and meat promotion campaign “ We Eat Balanced” has returned on national TV screens. The new TV advert focuses on the goodness within red meat and dairy, as a natural source of vitamin B12, produced to world-class standards. The TV advert is be supported by social assets on Instagram and Facebook and shoppers can see the campaign in supermarket dairy and meat isles. Farmers from across the UK are made central to the social campaign, to tell their personal stories of how hard they work to make dairy and meat some of the most sustainable in the world. The campaign is organized by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and paid out of a farmers levy.

In the United Kingdom the Germany headquartered private dairy Müller is targeting a 30 percent reduction in emissions from its supplying farms by 2030. Müller UK & Ireland recently hit its 2025 target to reduce its carbon footprint by 40 percent. Müller has identified three key changes that will help farmers reduce their environmental footprint: encouraging the replacement or reduction of soya feed in cattle diets, using more natural fertiliser, and increased use of genetics management.

In the United Kingdom one of the main supermarkets chains Morrisons will scrap ‘Use By’ dates on 90 percent of its own brand milk and replace this by ‘Best Before’ dates to indicate to customers when they should drink it by to get the best taste This to encourage its customers to use a simple sniff test to check if their milk is still good to consume. Morrisons anticipates the move will stop millions of litres of its own brand milk from being thrown away every year. Milk is the third most wasted food and drink product in the UK, after potatoes and bread, with around 280 million litres wasted every year. Research shows fresh milk can often last a number of days past the ‘Use By’ date shown on the bottle. However UK customers are routinely throwing away milk – as they incorrectly believe the milk is unsafe to drink. It is estimated that almost 50 million litres of milk waste may be a result of customers sticking to ’Use By’ labels or ‘once opened use within’ guidance – when products may still be good to consume.

In Ireland in 2021 45 percent of the 8000 dairy herds was in milk recording. This was five percent more than in 2020. The number of cows in a milk recording program increased 19.1 percent.

In the Irish republic in 2021 a number of 1567500 dairy calves was born, 54800 head or 3.6 percent more than in 2020.