Kategorie: News

British and American scientist state that methane that originates from cattle has another influence on the climate than fossil methane. When the number of cattle stays equal (or decreases) the volume of methane in the atmosphere does not increase.

Irish dairy export to the United Kingdom will be burdened with more than 287 million euro per year when there will not come Brexit deal between the UK and the EU.

In Ireland the VAT rate on milk recording has tripled from 4.5 percent to 13.5 percent VAT, which is still a reduced VAT rate. The standard VAT rate in Ireland is 23 percent.

In Sweden the dairy cooperative Skånemejerier has set a target to be a fossil-free dairy by 2025. By 2022, 100 percent of packaging will be recyclable. Ttoday the figure is as much as 96 percent. In 2019, an extensive climate calculation of the milk was done, in order to be able to see more clearly what efforts are needed to further reduce the climate impact. The company wants to be Sweden’s most sustainable dairy. Skånemejerier states that its sustainability work is anchored in the UN’s global development goals, and the concept of circular economy is central to the strategy.

In Sweden 78 percent of the dairy cows are housed loose, mainly in a freestall barn.

In Finland the Denmark headquartered dairy cooperative Arla has introduced a product, the Single Estate Organic Milk, produced in Finland, which is the first dairy product in the world to have its production chain saved into a blockchain. Arla’s blockchain is called the Arla Milkchain. A blockchain operates similarly as bookkeeping or a database, in which events are entered into blocks. New data is verified using an algorithm that has been programmed in the blockchain and saved to a new block if the old block is full, which is then linked to the previous block. This results in a group of data blocks that have been chronologically linked together. The blockchain can be either public or private. Due to its features, the blockchain is transparent and safe, since old data cannot be falsified afterwards and all events in the chain can be verified at any time. Strong information security, auditing possibility as well as the secure storing of value, authenticity and ownership are therefore built-in features of the blockchain.

In several European countries dairy farmers of the organization European Milk Board have demonstrated pro an EU-wide milk volume reduction scheme and against the current private storage aid for butter, milk powder and cheese as a crisis measure.

The European Commission, due to the pandemic of COVID-19 which has caused a supply-demand imbalance, allows for agreements between farmers and processors organisations to make agreements for collective efforts to plan the production volume of raw milk. Also the EC grants private storage aid with a total value of 30 million euro for skimmed milk powder (90000 tonnes); butter (140000 tonnes) and cheese (100000 tonnes).

The Polish minister of agriculture has published on internet a list of Polish companies that during the corona pandemic import foreign dairy products. This with the aim to get Polish to buy only dairy products of Polish origin. In response the German minister of agriculture asked the German federal chancellor Merkel to show her protest against this to the Polish government.

In Germany in April compared to March the raw material or compound value of milk at farm decreased 5.1 eurocent to 27.0 eurocent per kilogram milk with 4.0 percent fat and 3.4 percent protein (exclusive VAT). This is 3.6 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 October and November 2021 at 31.7 eurocent. The lowest future price is the price for May 2020 at 25.6 eurocent. www.ife-ev.de

The southern German dairy cooperative Berchtesgadener Land is paying each supplying member farm 1000 euro Corona aid. This because a lot of farms will this year have less or no income from tourism while in other year bed & breakfast is an important income source for farms in this region. To make the aid financial possible the dairy postponed some investment plans.

In Germany in 2019 were 3.5 percent of the artificial inseminations of Holstein cows done with sexed semen. Of Brown Swiss inseminations this was 2.1 percent. Of Jerseys this was much more with 25.3 percent.

In Germany in 2019 average consumption of drink milk per capita was 49.5 kilogram, which was for the first time below the 50 kilogram border. Twenty years ago, in 2000, the consumption was still 54 kilogram. Total milk consumption was in 2019 4.2 million tonnes which was 3.4 percent less than in 2018. In 2019 self-sufficiency rate of drink milk was 111.7 percent.

In Germany the southern state Bavaria has started subsidizing measures against attacks of wolves on pasturing cattle. Wolves proof fences and mobile barns are 100 percent subsidized, cattle protecting dogs are subsidize at maximum of 3000 euro per dog.

In Germany the latest results of the study on milk production costs show a shortfall of costs, with milk producers missing 22 percent to cover their cost of production. According to the quarterly figures published by the Farm Economics and Rural Studies Office (BAL) in January 2020 production costs amounted to 44.07 eurocent per kilogram, whereas the farm-gate milk price was 34.56 cent per kilogram in the same period. Commissioned by the European Milk Board and Germany’s MEG Milch Board, the Farm Economics and Rural Studies Office (BAL) started compiling comprehensive data on milk production costs in Germany in 2012 for the study entitled „What is the cost of producing milk?“. The calculation is based on data from the EU Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) as well as the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), and has been updated every quarter since 2014.

In Germany, from 2015 till 2019 the production of organic milk increased 62 percent to 1.185 billion (10*9) kilogram.

In Germany after last month one of the biggest discounters Aldi made an agreement with suppliers of cow milk to pay during the coming six months with five eurocent per litre more, now Aldi has increased the consumers price of the milk with six eurocent per litre. Earlier German dairy farmers with tractors across the country blocked several distribution centres of the discounter Aldi. Those farmers’ organizations now praise Aldi that it fulfilled their wishes to increase the consumers price for milk to make higher farmers milk prices possible.

In Holland, research by Wageningen University & Research shows that raising calves until 18 weeks on a slatted floor instead of on straw increases the growth 8.5 kilogram. Also this calves needed less antibiotics: average 0.8 days treatment compared to 2,79 days treatment.

In Belgium in 2019 average milk production per cow was 9152 litre which was 214 litre more than in 2018. Average feed costs were 16,14 euro per 100 litre milk which was 80 cents more than in 2018. Average intake of concentrate feed was 2939 kilogram which was 151 kilogram more than in 2018, according to the Belgium farmers organization Boerenbond.

The Dutch government will by law decrease the contact of raw protein in concentrate feed for dairy cows. This as a tool to lower the nitrogen exhaust by dairy farms. Farmers organizations oppose against the proposal.