The calving season is kicking off on spring-calving dairy farms across the country, with farmers progressing nicely through the season.
Some 80,399 calves have been registered to dairy cows thus far this year, recent figures from the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) have revealed.
Looking at the figures on a weekly basis – during the week ending January 31 – some 45,930 dairy calves were registered on farms. This was a jump of 7,717 head, or by 17%, when compared to the same week in 2019.
This increase in dairy calf registrations is largely attributed the continuous growth in the national dairy cow population since the abolishment of milk quotas.
Irish dairy cow numbers now stand at just over 1.5 million head – an increase of 1.6% from 2018, 5% from 2017 and 7.4% from 2016.
Milk Price Tracker
In other news, don’t miss our Milk Price Tracker in which we bring you the most recent milk prices – from the most significant Irish dairy co-ops.
Also Read: Milk Price Tracker: Which co-ops top the league?This table is now available on a month-by-month basis – enabling suppliers (dairy farmers) to track prices paid right across the industry.
Not only does the table enable a supplier to see what his or her own co-op is paying, but they also provide visibility of what competing co-ops are paying – on a like-for-like basis.
The project is being undertaken in conjunction with the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA).