Domestic milk intake by milk processors and co-ops around the country was estimated at 510 million litres in November 2024, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
This figure represents an increase of 128.3 million litres or 34% when compared with the same month last year.
The latest data also shows that this is 25.1 million litres (5.2%) higher on the volumes collected during November 2022.
The November 2024 milk intake was the highest recorded milk intake in any November since the series began in 1975.
Fat content for November 2024 was 4.99%, down marginally from 5% in November 2023. Protein content was up from 3.87% to 3.98% in the 12 months to November 2024.
CSO
Commenting on the figures, Stephanie Kelleher, statistician in the Agriculture Section of the CSO:
“The domestic milk intake for the period January to November 2024 was at 8.16 billion litres, a fall of 1.1% compared with the corresponding value between January and November 2023.”
According to the CSO, skim milk powder (SMP) production dropped from 7,300t in November 2023 to 6,100t in November 2024, a decrease of 1,200t.
Butter production in November 2024 stood at 15,200t, up from 13,700t in the same month last year.
The total milk sold for human consumption was 38.6 million litres which is similar to a year previously (38.4 million).
Dairy
In other dairy related news, the Ornua Purchase Price Index (PPI) and indicative price return have increased for December.
The monthly PPI for last month is 159.3, an increase on the November index of 156.7.
After deducting the estimated processing cost of Ornua member co-ops, the PPI implies an indicative return of 47.6c/L including VAT, for milk at 3.6% fat and 3.3% protein.
This is an increase on the 46.7c/L indicative return for the previous month.
Ornua said the indicative return reflects strong market returns for the month of December.