Report 49 – Released on December 5, 2019

AUSTRALIA:

Milk production in Australia during October was 5.5 percent below October last year,according to Dairy Australia. More detailed production data for the first four months of theseason are in the table which follows.

AUSTRALIA MILK PRODUCTION, MILKFAT and PROTEIN

                            July - October 2019    October 2019

                            Million Percent Change   Percentage
     State                  Liters  From 1 Year Ago  Milkfat Protein

     New South Wales          374.0  -7.3            3.89    3.29
     Victoria               2,078.4  -5.3            3.80    3.35
     Queensland               114.6 -14.5            3.91    3.25
     South Australia          153.9 -10.7            3.64    3.33
     Western Australia        127.4  -3.6            3.78    3.35
     Tasmania                 265.7  -1.0            3.96    3.46
     Australia (Total)      3,113.9  -5.8            3.83*   3.35**

     *  -1.6 percent from prior year period
     ** -0.7 percent from prior year period

     Data from Dairy Australia

The fires burning in Australia for weeks continue to be a big problem. They are beyond theability of firefighters to exert much control. Substantial rainfall would help. For now,great anxiety is present.

NEW ZEALAND:

Milk production in New Zealand is on the downward slope from the seasonal peak. While recent official data for October showed lower milk solids and production from October 2019, New Zealand based observers caution not to interpret that too simplistically. They note that 2018 production through October was quite high in a historical context. That diminishes the simple comparison as meaning that current production is disappointing. Within the dairy industry in New Zealand, many people are at ease with 2019 milk production. Recent weather conditions have been viewed as decent for this time of year. Forage quality is viewed as pretty good for dairy producers. The biggest variable now is the pace of the decline in milk production from the seasonal peak, to the end of the season.

 Information for the period November 25 -  December 6, 2019, issued biweekly

     Published by:
     Dairy Market News - Madison, WI
     Eric Graf, 608.422.8590
     Email: Eric.Graf@usda.gov

     Additional Dairy Market News Information:
     Dairy Market News (DMN) by Phone: (608)422-8602
     DMN Website: https://www.ams.usda.gov/market-news/dairy
     DMN MARS (My Market News): https://mymarketnews.ams.usda.gov