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GB milk deliveries: February provides another boost to volumes
Thursday, 13 March 2025
GB milk deliveries are estimated to have totalled 956 million litres in February, with an average of 34 million litres per day.
Due to the leap year, February 2024 contained an extra day, so we will compare this year’s volumes to an equivalent of 28 days only. This results in an increase of 1.2% year on year.
For this year’s milk season far (April-February), production totalled 11,331 million litres, a 0.9% increase compared to the same period in the previous milk year.
Year-on-year growth in deliveries has occurred since September as farmer confidence has been supported by favourable dairy economics. March milk price announcements have mostly held steady, though some cheese contracts showed signs of easing.
The milk-to-feed price ratio remains favourable for continued growth in production. Our upcoming Milk Forecasting Forum will discuss the next developments, which will be published later this month.
The GB dairy herd recorded a 0.9% year on year decline in the latest BCMS data. Most of the decline came from youngstock, who are not yet contributing to milk yields, but may impact output long-term. Much of this change is likely a result of greater use of sexed semen, with over-serving dairy semen in 2022. A decline of older cows also points towards greater efficiency.
Drier than average weather in February, which continued into the beginning of March, should boost forage quality and quantity. As we approach the spring flush, a continuation of good weather would allow cows to get out on the grass earlier.
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