Lowest milk levels for a decade (From Western Telegraph)

Lowest milk levels for a decade

9:00am Saturday 20th September 2008 in News

Milk production during August fell to its lowest level since the deregulation of the milk market more than a decade ago.

Although the weather is largely being blamed, Pembrokeshire producers say it is also a reflection of the impact of bovine TB and dairy farmers exiting the industry.

The total monthly output for August was 1,056.1million litres, 4.3% below the three-year average and 5.3% down on July.

DairyCo reckons the seasonal decline was largely due to the poor weather, but Pembrokeshire dairy farmer Griff Owen thinks that’s not the only reason.

“There are fewer cows around because of TB and there just aren’t as many people producing milk,” said Mr Owen, who runs a 100-cow herd at Milton Farm, Burton.

“You only have to look around the countryside here in Pembrokeshire to see that.”

He has seen milk output from his all-year-round calving herd dip only slightly and has been feeding a little silage to counter that.

“We are lucky because the soil is very free draining so the cows are grazing quite happily but in heavier soils then it would be more of a problem,” added Mr Owen, dairy committee chairman of the Farmers’ Union of Wales in Pembrokeshire.

Although he doesn’t believe the weather is having a major impact on production right now, he does worry that the cows’ health will suffer further down the line.

“The cows are milking off their reserves and in a few months, when they have used up those reserves, I think we will start having problems,” said Mr Owen.

“I think milk quality will suffer, in particular protein levels, and fertility could be an issue too.”