End-of-milk-year dash unlikely to hit quota
By FWi staff
DAIRY farmers have their feet firmly on the gas, leading up to Wednesdays (31 March) end of the milk year.
The latest Intervention Board figures show unadjusted deliveries in the week to 13 March of 257 million litres, compared with 247m litres in the same period last year.
The late dash for output follows low production earlier in the season, with butterfat-adjusted cumulative deliveries ending February 0.42% (53m litres) below profile.
But its still unlikely national output will hit quota, says Mark Bray of ADAS. The latest weekly figure marks a drop of 200,000 litres on the previous seven days. “It would appear we have peaked.”
Such sentiments, says Mr Bray, have been reflected in the quota market. “Its died a death.”
Jim Leamon of Hamiltons also points to the week-on-week drop in output. “It will certainly offer those confident of there being no superlevy further peace of mind.”
Milk Marque, meanwhile, has announced a February trading bonus equating to 0.4ppl on our league table standard litre, down from 0.5ppl in January.
A drop in constituent prices will also be seen from April, with butterfat down from 1.88p to 1.86p per % and protein cut from 3.180p to 3.145p per%. But this has been mitigated, says Stephen Bates of Wye College, by an increase of 0.2ppl in hygiene payments.
From April, Avonmore Waterford will drop the base price on the former Avonmore contract from 19.60p to 19.50ppl for milk of 4% butterfat and 3% protein. And Golden Vale has told farmers that its prices will also drop.
March for February 1999 deliveries (updated monthly)
COMPANY
This
month
Last
month
Transport flat rate
(ppl)
Transport volume
(ppl)
Bactoscan/
total bacteria
(ppl)
Somatic cell count
(ppl)
Butterfat
(ppl)
Protein
(ppl)
Seasonal
adj (ppl)
Price/std
litre (ppl)
Av price
Apr98-Feb99
Midlands Co-op
1
1
0.00
0.00
0.20
0.25
0.00
0.00
0.00
21.18
21.24
Lancashire Dairies
2
2
0.00
0.00
0.33
0.33
0.00
0.00
0.00
20.62
20.64
AW Foods Scotland (Lockerbie)
3
3
-0.73
0.00
0.10
0.10
7.62
11.45
1.20
20.44
19.57
Wiseman England
4
4
0.00
0.00
0.50
0.50
0.90
0.10
0.00
20.30
20.14
Golden Vale
5
5
-0.27
-0.42
0.40
0.30
8.88
10.00P
0.00
20.19
20.33
Bodfari
6
6
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.20
8.42
10.93
0.00
20.15
20.23
Express Dairies
7
7
0.00
0.20
0.80
0.60
7.27
11.13P
0.00
20.00
20.06
MD Foods (Premier)
8
8
0.00
0.30
0.80
0.80
8.20
3.25P
0.00
20.00
20.00
Wiseman Scotland
9
9
0.00
0.00
0.50
0.50
1.36
0.28
0.00
19.94
19.91
AW Foods Waterford (“PSL” contract)
10
10
-0.36
0.00
0.15
0.20
0.00
0.09
0.00
19.78
19.99
AW Foods (Avonmore)
11
11
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.20
0.25
-0.60
19.75
20.24
The Milk Group
12
12
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.30
8.82
10.62
0.00
19.74
19.74
Nestlé Scotland
13
13
-0.62
0.00
0.00
0.00
8.78
11.50
0.00
19.65
19.94
ACC (Stockton)
14
14
0.00
1.80
0.00
0.00
7.39
9.91
0.00
19.59
19.73
Wyke Farms
15
15
-0.54
0.00
0.10
0.00
7.98
10.86
0.00
19.59
19.05
Unigate – EODC
16
16
-0.43
0.00
0.30
0.30
4.10
4.68
-1.00
19.25
20.51
South Caernarvon
17
17
-0.73
0.00
0.00
0.00
8.12
11.17
-0.50
19.16
19.31
Nestlé England (Dalston)
18
18
-0.62
0.00
0.00
0.00
8.78
11.50
-0.50
19.15
19.79
Southern Co-op
19
19
0.00
-0.35
0.10
0.10
10.08
9.58
-0.80
18.96
20.64
Aberdeen Milk
20
21
-0.45
-0.77
0.30
0.30
0.60
0.25
0.00
18.58
18.64
Scottish Milk
21
20
-0.45
-0.10
0.30
0.20
7.83
10.73
0.00
18.50
18.88
Milk Marque – EODC
22
22
-1.23
0.50
0.20
0.20
7.71
10.34
0.00
18.31
18.15
Milk Marque
23
23
-1.23
0.00
0.20
0.20
7.71
10.34
0.00
17.81
17.65
Source: WYE COLLEGE University of London http://www.wye.ac.uk |
P=payment for protein capped (at 3.3% for MD and Express, 3.35% for Golden Vale)