AUSTRALIAN milk production has started this season slowly with the nation recording a 3.5 per cent decline for July.
But Tasmanian production was 3.8 per cent up compared with July last year at 30.65 million litres and northern Victorian milk supply recorded a 3.6 per cent lift.
Dairy Australia figures show 637.47 million litres was produced across Australia in the first month of the new production season with Victorian dairy farmers accounting for almost 66 per cent of supply.
Milk supply was down 3.3 per cent in Victoria at 418.83 million litres with the largest production decline in Western Victoria at -8.6 per cent. Western Victoria produced 35.1 per cent of the state’s milk, with Gippsland attributing 31.3 per cent.
South Australia had the biggest milk supply decline, down 9.4 per cent to 38.57 million litres, while Western Australia was steady with a 0.8 per cent lift.
NSW milk supply slid by 5.3 per cent to 83.13 million litres and Queensland declined by 3 per cent to 38.48 million litres.
The average national protein percentage in July was 3.33 per cent, down 0.9 per cent from last year.
Average milk fat was 3.99 per cent, no change from July 2012.
Source: Weekly Times