Domestic milk intake by milk processors and co-ops was estimated at 947.1 million litres in August 2025, according to the latest data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

This represents an increase of 59.9 million litres (6.7%) when compared with August 2024.

It is also up 37.9 million litres (4.2%) when compared with the same month in 2023.

The CSO data shows that fat content for August 2025 was 4.23%, down from 4.27% in August 2024.

While protein content rose from 3.63% to 3.72% in the 12 months to August 2025.

Skimmed milk powder (SMP) production decreased by 1,400t, from 13,700t in August 2024 to 12,300t in August 2025.

Stephanie Kelleher, statistician in the Agriculture Section of the CSO, noted that between January to August 2025, domestic milk intake was estimated at 6.6 billion litres.

This is an increase of 394.8 million litres (6.4%) when compared with the same period in 2024 and is up 83.4 million litres (1.3%) when compared with 2023.

The CSO recently reported that the number of dairy cows in the country fell by around 36,000 (-2.2%) in the year to June 2025.

The latest 'Crops and Livestock Provisional June 2025' shows that the number of cattle aged two years and over decreased from 812,000 to 741,000 (-8.7%) in the 12 months to June 2025.

The total cattle number was down by 278,300 (-3.9%) to 6,904,800 in June 2025.

The number of dairy cows decreased by 36,100 (-2.2%) while the number of other cows dropped by 46,800 (-5.7%).

The provisional number of dairy cows in 2025 stands at 1,587,900, according to the CSO.

The total number of cattle aged less than two years decreased by 124,300 (-3.2%).

The number of cattle aged two years and over decreased by 71,000 (-8.7%).