Milk

Netherlands: IBR Outbreak on Six Dairy Farms in the Northern Region (Jan 13)

The field virus of IBR was detected on nasal swabs on three of the six dairy farms. The farms had clear symptoms and adult cow mortality. According to GD, it turned out to be an unusually virulent outbreak, with local spread via property entrants likely. The outbreak was in contrast to developments during the rest of the year. GD reported that in 2022 there were only twelve tank milk turnovers on free dairy farms. A tank milk turnover means that IBR antibodies have been found in the tank milk and more than 10% of the flock is infected with IBR. There were also few positive nasal swabs, because the IBR field virus was detected on only seven cattle farms. GD advised cattle farmers to be alert to symptoms: nasal and/or eye discharge, snoring, fever, decreased appetite, drop in milk production, rejection and sometimes death.

Poland: Dairy Products Market (Jan 10)

The selling price of skimmed milk powder amounted to USD 3.37/kg (PLN 14.69) and was 3% lower than a week earlier and 12.5% ​​lower than a month ago. For whole milk powder USD 4.91/kg (PLN 21.41) was obtained, which was 6% less than in the previous week and 8.5% less than in the previous month. Compared to last year's quotations, SMP was more expensive by 1%, and PMP by 31%. For skimmed milk powder obtained USD 2,965/MT, which was 4% less than in the previous quotation and 3% than a month ago. Price of Whole milk powder amounted to USD 3,246/MT and was 4.5% lower than two weeks earlier and 4% lower than a month ago. The price of skimmed milk powder amounted to USD 3,120/MT (PLN 13.63/kg) and was 1% lower than a week earlier and 4% lower than a month ago. Whole milk powder, as of a week ago, received USD 5,291/MT (PLN 23.12 / kg), less by 2% than a month earlier. Compared to last year's quotations, SMP was 12% cheaper, and PMP was 28% more expensive. 

Spain: The Authorities Imposed a Stock to the Size of the New Dairy Farms That They Want to Install (Jan 9)

The Spanish Government, seeking to organize the activity of bovine farms in the country, ordered that no establishment have more than 725 dairy cows. This is a measure that was communicated by the Council of Ministers to guarantee the competitiveness of family economic units, a preponderant link in the activity. The objective is that the bulk of existing family farms do not see their competitiveness compromised in terms of additional costs.

Ukraine: The Number of Cows Decreased by More Than 13% (Jan 13)

In the conditions of the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the dairy industry, despite the disrupted supply chains between the farm, the dairy and the trade network, the loss of livestock, the blocking of business and exports, has adapted to new realities and challenges, the Committee on Agrarian and Land Affairs informs politicians. According to the Association of Milk Producers, the number of cows in Ukraine as of December 1, 2022 was 1.38M, which was 13.9%, 233.7K less than in 2021. During the period of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine lost 172.70K cows.

Russia: Kaliningrad Region Retains Leadership in Dairy Production (Jan 13)

The average milk yield from one cow per day in the region in agricultural organizations was 26.4 kg. This was 1.3 times more than the average for Russia. According to the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, the average milk yield per cow per day in the country is 20.05 kg, which is 1.31 kg more than a year earlier. The leaders in this important indicator of the development of the dairy industry are the Krasnodar Territory, Leningrad, Kursk and Kaliningrad regions. In these regions, more than 25 kg of milk per cow was obtained. It should be noted that for 10 months of 2022, farms of all categories in the Kaliningrad region produced 200K MT of milk (101.4% by 2021). The region is fully self-sufficient in whole milk. One of the important events in the development of dairy farming in the region was the implementation of a unique project to create a highly specialized breeding and genetic center for the Holstein breed of cattle, which in the future will allow the formation of a domestic fund of genetic resources that affect milk production, increase the efficiency and competitiveness of animal husbandry in the country and create an alternative to importing cattle.

Greece: The Livestock Sector Is Shrinking (Jan 12)

The livestock sector in Greece is showing a significant contraction. Increased production costs, fewer workers are the major problems of the industry. According to ELGO-DIMITRA, the livestock farmers who delivered milk in the first ten months of 2022 were 1,955 compared to 2,130 in 2021, a decrease of 10%. According to the same data, the reduction of cow and sheep milk in the respective years reached 4.26% and 1.88%.

Zimbabwe: Milk Production Increases to 91M Liters (Jan 9)

Milk production increased in 2022 by 14.3% from 79.6M liters in 2021 to over 91M liters as the Government continues to provide assistance and other support but Zimbabwe still needs to import to meet the initial target of 150M liters. Milk production has been increasing as more farmers have taken up dairy farming, amid growing support from the Government, while the national herd has been supplemented with imported heifers to accelerate growth from the local breeding stock. Dairy growth is slower than beef herd growth since not only are extra heifers required, but those heifers have to grow up and drop their own calf before they become a milking cow. Latest figures from the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development’s dairy services department show that milk intake by processors rose 14% to 74.96M liters from 65.80M liters in 2021 and milk powder imports declined by 17% from 8.9M kg in 2021 to 7.4M kg last year.

Butter

Poland: Dairy Products Market (Jan 10)

Dairy plants monitored under the Integrated Agricultural Market Information System of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on December 19-25, 2022 sold butter in blocks of USD 6.51/kg (PLN 28.38), which was 4% cheaper than the week before and 9% cheaper than a month ago. Packaged butter was sold at USD 6.65/kg (PLN 28.97), which was 6% lower than in the previous week and 8% lower than the month before. The prices of butter in blocks and packaged were higher by 7% than in the previous year. At the auction held on December 20, 2022 on the Global Dairy Trade trading platform, the GDT price index decreased by 3.8% compared to the previous quotation. During the session, 28.7K were sold. At GDT on December 20, 2022, butter was paid at USD 4,602/MT , which was 3% less than in the previous quotation and 5% less than a month ago. On the Chicago Stock Exchange on December 23, 2022, the price of butter was USD 5,280/MT (PLN 23.07/kg), which was 16% lower than a week ago and 19% lower than a month earlier. Compared to last year's prices, butter was 6.5% more expensive. 

Cheese

Poland: Dairy Products Market (Jan 10)

At the end of 2022, the prices of the monitored types of cheese were at high levels. On December 19-25, 2022, domestic producers sold Edam cheese at USD 5.81/kg (PLN 25.32), 1% more expensive than in the previous week and 0.3% more than a month earlier. Gouda cheese was paid USD 5.96/kg (PLN 26.00), which was 1% more than a week earlier and 2% more than a month ago. Compared to last year's prices, Edamski and Gouda cheeses were 31% more expensive in both cases. The price of Cheddar cheese was USD 4,801/MT , which was 0.5% lower than two weeks earlier, but 1% higher than a month ago. The price of Cheddar cheese increased by 7% to USD 4,679/MT during the week. The recorded price level was 1% lower than a month ago, but 13% higher than a year earlier.