Kategorie: News

In Germany in July compared to June 2021 the raw material or compound value of milk at farm fell 1.3 eurocent to 36.2 eurocent per kilogram milk with 4.0 percent fat and 3.4 percent protein (exclusive VAT). This is 6.1 eurocent more than in the same month last year. The highest future price of milk for the next 18 months on the Kieler Börsenmilchwert European Energy Exchange is the price for March 2022 till February 2023 at 37.6 eurocent. The lowest future price is the price for September 2021 at 36.5 eurocent.

In Germany the demand for hay milk rises. In the southern state Bavaria, the private dairy Allgäuer Hof-Milch has contracted 41 dairy farms to deliver hay milk. The dairy had already 62 farms delivering hay milk. Hay milk comes from cows that among others in winter get traditional (dry) hay, in summer they are on pasture, according to EU regulations. Austria has extra conditions for hay milk which also have to be met when exporting German hay milk to Austria. To meet the extra Austrian hay milk conditions, year round it is not allowed to feed silage to cows, in cubicle barns every cow has to have a cubicle available, and the cows have to have at least 120 days a year entrance to pasture.

A German company has introduced milk of which it states that it contains twenty times the amount of vitamin D as regular milk at a prices of 2,66 till 5.95 euro per litre. The milk can be bought in a web shop.

Germany imported in 2020 in volume 46 percent more vegetable drinks which were an alternative to dairy drinks than in 2019 and even 130 percent more than in 2017. Total German retailers imported 206 million litre vegetable drinks. Of the import 38 percent came from Belgium, 24 percent from Sweden, and 18 percent from Italy. However: German export of vegetable drinks increased in 2020 35 percent to 118.1 million litre.

German consumers will in 2022 be able to choose milk and dairy products on base of the housing system of the cows. Like already in use with meat, the milk and milk products will be labelled with four different levels: Level 1 is minimum housing standard that is obliged by law, level 4 is the highest level with the most animal welfare, including the organic housing system.

In Flanders, the northern part of Belgium with the most dairy cattle, in 2019 the CO2 emission related to milk production on the farm decreased 30 percent compared to 2000. In 2000 the emission of farm milk was 1.32 kilogram CO2 equivalents, in 2019 this was 0.93 CO2 equivalents. The main improvement was realized by a higher milk production per cow. In 2000 average milk production was 6700 litre, in 2019 this was 9200 litre.

In Belgium the national farmers organization ABS has sent protests to the supermarkets Albert Heijn, part of Ahold-Delhaize, and to Aldi because they started selling consumer milk for a price less than 50 eurocent per litre, about half the regular price.

In Holland almost 20 percent of the dairy farmers has plans to invest in a barn. Ten percent will renovate the current barn, seven percent will build a new one. Of the farmers that will invest, 40 percent will renew the roof of the barn, 32 percent will invest in the floor, also 32 percent will invest in barn equipment.

In Holland the dairy cooperative Royal FrieslandCampina has the first 50 tonnes hydrogen-powered milk truck into use. At this moment, only the infrastructure in the northern Groningen region allows for the use of hydrogen milk trucks, but possibilities to expand to other parts of the countries are under investigation.

In Holland research of Wageningen University & Research shows that by putting economic weight on CH4 production in the breeding goal, selective breeding can reduce the CH4 intensity even by 24 percent in 2050.

In Holland the number of dairy farms that is pasturing cows has increased from 65 percent in 2016 to 74 percent in 2020.

In Holland in a pilot of nine months of Rabobank, dairy farms with a loan of more than one million euro and the highest durability score can get a discount on their interest of 0.2 percent.

Holland had in July 2021 a number of 15658 farms/locations where cows were milked. Totally they used 18601 milking systems, including robots. There were 4949 herringbone parlours, 4592 robotic milking systems, 3793 side-by-side parlours, 903 rotor parlours, 774 tied barns, 471 swing-over parlours and 358 tandem parlours.

In Holland the dairy cooperative Royal FrieslandCampina lost between July 2020 and July 2021 a number of 41 member farms. They changed to another dairy. Since the merge between Friesland Foods and Campina in 2008 RFC lost 439 members.

In Holland in May 2021 the financial balance of the average dairy farm was 20 percent higher than in May 2020, according to Wageningen University & Research.

In Great Britain the two private dairies Freshways Dairy and Medina Dairy have agreed to merge under the new name Medina Freshways. The new dairy will with about 1000 employees process 500 million litres milk and realize a turnover of about BPS 400 million / 470 million euro.

In Ireland the biggest dairy cooperative Glanbia has pledged to achieve a 30% absolute reduction in carbon emissions from its processing sites by 2030 and will work with their dairy farmers towards a similar cut in carbon intensity from milk production. The company’s overall ambition is to reach Net Zero Carbon by no later than 2050, in line with the Irish Government’s commitment in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill.

In Ireland from July 2020 until June 2021 a number of 21845 head of cattle was removed from farms because of being infected with Bovine Tuberculosis. In the same period one year before this was 19285 head of cattle.

In Ireland Teagasc National Farm Survey shows that in 2020 Ireland had 16146 dairy farms. Average they had 82 cows. Of the dairy farms ten percent had more than 100 hectare land, 42 percent had 50 to 100 hectare land, 32 percent had 30 to 50 hectare land, 16 percent had less than 30 hectare land. Average dairy farm income increased 13 percent to 74236 euro. Of the dairy farms 19 percent had an income less than 30000 euro, 18 percent had an income between 30000 and 50000 euro. Average loans were 112500 euro.

In Ireland, the milk brand Avonmore of the biggest dairy cooperative Glanbia has got the second place in the list of Irish most popular brands.