Monthly milk volumes continue to trend higher year-on-year in NI, with the latest DAERA figures showing 202.4m litres was produced on NI farms in August.
That is up 4%, or 7.8m litres on the same month last year and is the highest August production on record for NI.
It brings total milk production for the first eight months of the year to 1.81bn litres, up 1.6% or 30m litres on 2023 levels. Should that differential be maintained through the final months of 2024, annual production is on track to set a new record high for NI at around 2.57bn litres.
Pricing
The latest DAERA statistics also show that farm gate milk prices averaged 41.87p/l during August, up 2.2p/l on July and 11.2p/l above the average price in the same month last year.
Milk solids are also trending upwards year-on-year with average butterfat and protein at 4.20% and 3.36% for August 2024, which compares to 4.18% and 3.34% in August 2023.
What to expect at Dairy Day 2024?
Money Mentor: do I have to pay tax on my farm if I move away?