The volume of domestic milk intake by processors and co-ops increased year-on-year in March 2025 to an estimated 818.2 million litres, according to new report from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) today (Wednesday, May 7).

This represents an increase of 61 million litres when compared with the same month last year and is also up by 16.7 million litres when compared with volumes for March 2023.

This is in keeping with a general trend across quarter one (Q1) 2025 which saw domestic milk intake rise year on year by 4% to 1.31 billion litres when compared with the corresponding volume between January and March 2024. 

However, according to the CSO, when this is compared to Q1 2023 domestic milk intake was down by 54.4 million litres.

In its latest milk statistics report, the CSO also examined domestic milk take in the month of March from 1975 to 2025.

It found that over the 50 year period under review, domestic milk intake in Ireland more than quadrupled from 193.3 million litres in March 1975 to the 818.2 million litres in March 2025.

The CSO also highlighted the impact of the introduction and abolition of the milk quota on milk production across the country.

 Stephanie Kelleher, statistician in the agriculture section of the CSO, said: "Total domestic milk intake rose steadily from March 1975, until the introduction of the European milk quota in April 1984. 

"The highest figure for the month of March was in 2021 at 829.7 million litres."

The latest milk statistics for March 2025 also detail that:

Fat content for March 2025 was 4.34% - down from 4.40% in March 2024;
Protein content rose to 3.38% in March 2025, compared with 3.25% a year earlier;
Butter production fell from 25,400 tonnes in March 2024 to 23,800 tonnes in March 2025, down 1,500 tonnes;
Skim Milk Powder increased from 8,700 tonnes in March 2024 to 9,200 tonnes in March 2025, up 500 tonnes.