Milk production up by 54m litres in March

UK dairy producers delivered 1.221bn litres of milk in March – 54m litres than the same time last year, according to provisional data from the Rural Payments Agency.

GB production was 4.3% up on last year, at 1.037bn litres, while Northern Ireland deliveries increased by 6.9%, to 185m litres. Cumulative UK production for the 2011-12 milk year stood at 13.517bn litres, 1.4% more than last year and the highest since 2006-07.

Butterfat content averaged 4.1% in March, 0.02 points above last year, while cumulative fat was 4.06%, the highest level since 2008-09. When adjusted for the leap year (but not for butterfat), producers ended the year about 1.5bn litres below quota.

Dairy producers affected by herd movement restrictions through disease could apply for additional quota to cover some excess production caused by retaining more heifers than usual, said the RPA. Temporary Reallocation of Milk Quota forms were now available and should be submitted by 30 April at the latest. Producers would not qualify if they had disposed of any quota, purchased dairy cows, or purchased in-calf heifers after the movement restriction was imposed.

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