Kurz und knapp

Ireland had in 2023 a strong increase in bovine tuberculosis (TBC) infections. In 2023 the number of detected test reactions was 28868 compared to 23337 in 2022. This despite an eradication program. Bovine TB is mainly spread by wildlife, in particular badgers.

The Denmark headquartered dairy cooperative Arla will in September start selling mozzarella through Global Dairy Trade Events. Since joining GDT in 2012 Arla has participated in 277 Trading Events.

In Denmark to give Danish dairy farmers better financing options, the state-owned Export and Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO) will give dairy farmers who score on Arla’s Climate Check an interest discount on loans. The discount can reduce the interest rate to a minimum of 30 percent of the base rate. The aim of this is to stimulate the green and sustainable transition of Danish agriculture and food production, so that it is also competitive to produce food in Denmark in the future. Starting with dairy farmers, it’s primarily because 38 percent of CO2 emissions from primary agricultural production come from livestock farming and livestock accounts for more than 80 percent of that. A rapid green transition will have a major effect here, according to EIFO. The fact that Arla’s Climate Check forms the basis for the financing conditions for dairy farmers does not mean that only Arla’s milk producers can get better conditions with EIFO. Arla’s Climate Check is expected to be available to all Danish dairy farmers in the course of 2024.

Danish dairy farmers supplied in 2023 a volume of 5.687 billion (10*9) kilograms milk to processors. This was 0.4 percent more than in the previous year. Also in 2022 was supplied 0.4 percent more than in 2021.

In Sweden at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, on April 15, a number of 23 dairy farmers will receive a gold medal from Crown Princess Victoria for supplying milk of the highest quality for at least 23 years. The Gold Medal Program is an initiative of the Swedish dairy farmers oganization LRF Mjölk and Swedish dairies to give attention to the quality work of dairy farmers. The prize has been awarded since 1958.

In Sweden in 2023 the 2600 dairy farms had average 110 cows. However: about half of the farms has less than 75 cows

In Finland the dairy cooperative Valio plans to transfer the production of plant based products from its plants in Helsinki and Turku to Riihimäki. If the plan is implemented, it will mean the closure of the plants in Helsinki and Turku. With the planned transfer of production, Valio aims to improve production efficiency and profitability.

In Norway a new breeding project will focus on enhancing efficiency and reducing the environmental footprint of Norwegian Red cattle by improving feed efficiency and methane emission reduction. Additionally it will refine reproductive and genomic technologies and explore the benefits of integrating purebreds and crossbreds. With a total project investment value of around one million euro, half funded by the Norwegian Research Council and half provided by Geno. Geno is the cooperative breeding organization of Norwegian Red, the main dairy breed in Norway. Geno launches this project to advance sustainable breeding practices for Norwegian Red dairy cattle. The project will involve collaboration with researchers from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) and the Scottish Roslin Institute which is part of the university of Edinburgh.

The European dairy sector could achieve an additional turnover of 780 million in 2032 as a result of free trade agreements with non-EU countries, according to the European Commission.

The Switzerland headquartered dairy Nestlé has stopped the production of the milk alternative pea based plant drink Wunda, after sales in the UK were stopped last year already. The drink was introduced in 2021. Nestlé is still producing other milk alternative plant based drinks.

The Austrian traditional hay dairy farming in the Alpine region, called Heumilch, is now an agricultural world heritage site. This was decided by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO.

In Austria an inventory of 153 vegan milk and meat imitations at five different food retailers in the capital Vienna shows that of vegan spreads 77 percent of the origin of the raw materials is unclear and that of imitation milk the origin of 67 percent of the raw materials is unclear. The inventory was carried out by the Young Viennese Farmers and by the rural economy association Verein Wirtschaften am Land. According to both organisations the lack of transparency suggests that many products may come from third countries where standards are generally lower and that transport routes generate huge CO2 emissions.

In Austria the state Burgenland is planning state dairies for the processing of domestic produced milk. Since 15 years all milk from farms in Burgenland is transported for processing in the two Austrian states Styria and Lower Austria. An own state dairy could ensure fixed sales opportunities and price stability for Burgenland producers, which could also ensure the continued existence of organic farms in the long term. Also this could encourage regular dairy farms to switch to organic, according to the governor. As first step the state dairy should have a capacity of 500000 kilogram milk.

Austria had at the beginning of 2024 a number of 71 dairies that each processed at least 48000 kilograms milk a year. That was four dairies less than one year before and twenty less than ten years before. They operated at a total of 96 locations.

In Germany in February 2024 compared to January 2024 the raw material or compound value of milk at farm decreased 0.5 eurocent to 42.2 eurocent per kilogram milk with 4.0 percent fat and 3.4 percent protein (exclusive VAT). This is 3.2 eurocent 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 September 2025 at 48.8 eurocent. The lowest future price is the price for May 2024 at 41.9 eurocent.

In Germany the private dairy Müller will in 2026 close two of the three plants that it in 2023 took over from Holland headquartered dairy cooperative Royal Friesland Campina. This two plants in Heilbron and Schefflenz are not economically viable, according to Müller. Last year Müller closed already the former RFC plant in Cologne. Müller continues the brand Landliebe that it has taken over from Royal FrieslandCampina in 2023 also.

In Holland a PhD research at Wageningen University & Research shows that genetic selection of animals to make them less susceptible to infections is an interesting intervention. The current approach in animal breeding to select for lower infection susceptibility, however, purely focusses on the individual animal, ignoring the fact that infections are transmitted from animal to animal in populations. This thesis shows that by ignoring the transmission of infections, breeders miss a considerable part of the heritable variation. Thereby, the potential of genetic selection to reduce the impact of infectious diseases in livestock populations is much larger than always thought.

In Holland dairy cows already experience heat stress at a temperature of 12 degrees Celsius. This is evident from PhD research at the veterinary faculty of Utrecht University.

Holland had in December 2023 a number of 1.546 million dairy cows. This was 1.5 percent less than one year before.