Kategorie: News

In Germany, the northern university of Kiel has starting measuring methane emission of dairy cows. Provisional results show that Jersey cows emit around 200 gram methane per cow per day and Holstein Friesian cows around 400 gram per cow per day.

In the Belgian northern part Flanders the government has announced a law that obliges to offer shadow to pasturing animals.

In Holland a study of the animal service Royal GD shows that first calvings result twice as much as later calvings in a death birth. The study also shows that multiple births result 2.5 times as much as single births in death births.

In Holland, a study of Wageningen University & Research shows that the 25 percent of the dairy farms that perform the best on durability also achieve better economic results. Their critical milk price is average 2.5 euro per 100 kilogram milk lower than that of the remaining 75 percent of the farms. The farms were classified on durability with help of four categories: animal health and welfare; climate and energy; environment and biodiversity; pasturing.

The United Kingdom (Great Britain plus Northern Ireland) exported in 2019 434 tonnes of cheese to Japan which was 90 percent more than in 2018. Total UK cheese export in 2019 was 208000 tonnes.

Great Britain had on July 1, 2020 a number of 1.68 million dairy cows which was 51000 head or 2.9 percent less than one year before. It is estimates that around 25 percent of the British dairy farmers is reducing milk production as a reaction of the corona impact.

In Finland compared to previous year, in January-July 2020: milk production: was plus 2 percent; production of liquid dairy products was minus 3 percent; butter production was plus 5 percent;  cheese production was plus 3 percent.

Finland has soon had automatic milking for 20 years. The first milking robot started milking in November 2000 in a private dairy farm in south-western Finland. The first robot, a Delaval, was after 15 years fulltime job donated to the Finnish agricultural museum in August. In the beginning of 2020 there were 1863 automatic milking places in 1201 dairy farms. At the same time there were 5788 dairy farms in Finland. So 20.7 percent of the dairy farms are milking with a AMS, but 45 to 50 percent of the milk is now milked by AMS. In 2000 when the automatic milking started there were 21564 dairy farms in Finland.

Austria had in 2019 28200 milk sheep which was 0.6 percent less than in 2018. Average milk production was 432 kilogram which was 3.4 percent less than in 2018. Together they produced 12200 tons of milk which was four percent less than in 2018. Of this 9900 tons (80.9 %) was used for human consumption and 2200 tons (18.1 %) was fed to animals and one percent was booked as lost.
Austria had in 2019 a number of 39000 milk goats which was one percent more than in 2018. Together they produced 26500 tons of milk which was 1.6 percent more than in 2018. Average milk production was 680 kilogram (+0.6%). Of the total production of 26500 tons 23700 tons (89.5%) was used for human consumption and 2500 tons or 9.5 percent was fed to animals.

In Austria in 2019 the production of cow milk decreased one percent to 3781000 tons. Of this volume 89.3 percent went to processing dairies. Of the rest of 244000 tons or 6.5 percent was on the farm fed to calves and other animals and 122000 tons or 3.2 percent was on the farm processed and or direct used or sold for human consumption.
In Austria in 2019 the number of dairy cows decreased 2.1 percent to 527000 head and their average milk production increased 1.1 percent to 7200 kilogram.
Austrian dairies took in 2019 a volume of 584974 tons organic milk in. This was 18.6 percent of the total milk intake and 16611 tons or 2.9 percent more than in 2018. Production of almost all organic dairy products increased. Production of organic drink milk increased 9.9 million kilogram or eight percent to 130 million kilogram. Main increase was made with pasteurized drink milk with 3.5 percent fat. Production of this increased 7.4 million kilogram. Main part of organic drink milk was still extended shelf life (E.S.L.) milk with 3.5 percent fat. Of this was 71.6 million kilogram produced.

In Austria in 2019 the production of cow milk decreased one percent to 3781000 tons. Of this volume 89.3 percent went to processing dairies. Of the rest of 244000 tons or 6.5 percent was on the farm fed to calves and other animals and 122000 tons or 3.2 percent was on the farm processed and or direct used or sold for human consumption.

In Germany in June compared to May the raw material or compound value of milk at farm increased 3.0 eurocent to 28.8 eurocent per kilogram milk with 4.0 percent fat and 3.4 percent protein (exclusive VAT). This is 2.2 eurocent less 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 December 2021 at 33.9 eurocent. The lowest future price is the price for July 2020 at 31.1 eurocent. www.ife-ev.de

Germany imported in 2019 a volume of 222600 tons consumption milk (+20%) and exported 704500 tons (+9%). The self-sufficiency rate of consumption milk was 112 percent, and the average consumption of milk was 49.5 kilogram.

The biggest German dairy cooperative DMK will give member farms the opportunity to fix their future milk price. Two days per month DMK will offer a fix price for the next three to twelve months. Farms can fix their price for a maximum volume of 30 percent of their production.

The biggest German dairy cooperative DMK has introduced its first consumer product that contains vegetable milk alternatives. The first products is a coffee drink that contains oat milk.

In Germany, research of the university of Rostock during four years with 3000 cows shows that cows that after their first lactation had a dry period of eight weeks instead of six weeks later produce more milk. In 100 days the eight week cows produced 4224 kilogram milk compared to 4155 kilogram milk of the six week cows. In 305 days the eight week cows produced 300 kilogram more milk.

Belgian dairy farms delivered in 2019 for the first year more than four billion (10*9) litre milk. Total delivery was 4054917000 litre. This was done by 6792 farms with an average delivery of 597014 litre milk.

In the Belgian region Flanders, the northern half of Belgium where about two third percent of the Belgian dairy cows are home, in 2019 the average somatic cell count of milk was with 193000 for the first time less than 200000 cells per millilitre. The bacterial count went down from 10600 to 9600 colony forming units (cfu) per millilitre.

In Belgium, half a year after the start, the biggest dairy cooperative Milcobel stops marketing VLOG milk. Important conditions for meeting the VLOG standard are that participating dairy farmers give their cows feed that is free from gene technology. Additionally participants apply full outside grazing at their farms. Also, the dairy processor has to guarantee that this milk is processed in a separate milk stream. The VLOG milk was produced by 200 dairy farms that annual produced 120 million kilogram VLOG milk for which they received a premium of one eurocent per kilogram. Milcobel states that it cannot make enough profit with VLOG milk compared to the extra costs.

The Belgian biggest dairy cooperative Milcobel will remodel its company structure to three business units. This will save ten percent of the costs of the senior management, Milcobel states. The aim is to save in 2020 five percent and in 2021 ten percent on fixed costs. Milcobel has seven sites in Belgium and France and takes in annual 1.7 billion (10*9) litres milk (40 of the Belgian milk production) from 2525 dairy farms. The cooperative has 2000 employees. Dairy products are exported to more than 100 countries.