독일 유제품 인사이트

German dairy farms score well in terms of animal welfare. Compared to last year, there has been a slight improvement in the mastitis percentage and lifespan at culling. This is evident from an annual report by Q-Check. The organisation bases its findings on data from milk control associations, with a combined total of more than 3.1 million cows on 31,000 German farms. This has been used to calculate animal welfare indicators for 87 percent of all dairy cows in Germany. Less mastitis, longer lifespan Compared to last year, the report shows that visible improvements have been achieved in the indicators for mastitis percentage in the first lactation. In 2023, the average farm scored a percentage of 25.8, in 2022 this was 26.3. The share of animals with a fat-protein ratio of more than 1.5 in the first 100 days of lactation also increased. Furthermore, the lifespan of culled cows improved. Where in 2022 the life expectancy stopped at 40.1 months, in 2023 it was 40.8

Global milk production declined due to adverse weather conditions, cow diseases, rising feed prices and farmers' production costs, combined with seasonal factors. An outbreak of blue fever has damaged the dairy industry in Western Europe, and a severe drought has adversely affected milk production in Central and Eastern Europe. In the United States, there have been some signs of stabilization of milk production volumes after a period of recession. New Zealand is increasing the volume of milk production and covering the shortage in other regions. In Australia, after a period of milk growth, production declined due to drought, crop failures and feed price increases.

Although the number of dairy cows continues to decrease, there will be no decline in milk production in the European Union thanks to the increase in performance.