There was a downturn in Great Britain’s daily milk deliveries in the week ending May 13, suggesting the peak has passed.
This is according to dairy and livestock senior analyst with the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), Freya Shuttleworth.
According to the latest data, Shuttleworth said the highest milk deliveries daily figure was 37.46m litres on May 5, alongside the seven-day rolling average which peaked at 37.18m litres.
The “spring flush” has so far seen volumes at a similar level to last year, with the peak day only 0.2% above the highest individual day in 2022, Shuttleworth said.
This is down 0.9% from AHDB‘s March forecast, as cooler and wetter weather limited grazing opportunities due to saturated ground.
“This meant farmers could not fully capitalise on good grass growth in April and May,” Shuttleworth explained.
“While the height of the peak is one factor, how long these higher volumes last for also impacts the availability of milk.
“In 2022, we saw a rapid fall from the peak which reduced summer volumes, however higher milk prices, teamed with favourable autumn weather conditions, encouraged production growth in the autumn and winter.”
With farmgate milk prices continuing to ease, input costs remaining historically high and prices for cull cows continuing to climb, lower milk production is “likely to be a particular concern this season”, Shuttleworth said.
