New figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that November 2024’s milk intake was up one-third on the same month a year previous.

The CSO’s data put milk processors’ intake at a combined 510.0m litres in November 2024, up 128.3m litres on the previous November.

This milk delivery estimate was also up by more than 5% on November 2022.

This 510m litres is the highest in the CSO’s records, which go as far back as 1975.

The rebound in milk volumes left the January to November intake at 8.16m litres for 2024, down 1.1% on the previous year and down 4.4% on 2022.

Stronger environment

This drop had been around the 5% mark for the first seven months of the year, before weather and grazing conditions improved in the latter half of the year amid a stronger milk price environment.

Fat content dropped from an average of 5% last October to 4.99% in November, while protein moved in the opposite direction to increase from 3.87% to 3.98%.

While production of skimmed milk powder and butter were lower last November when compared with the same month a year previous, cheese production was higher.