DairyCo

Average Milk Yield

Published 1 July 10

Average Milk Yields

• Provisional 2009/10 figures show that the average milk yield has increased by 151 litres per cow from 2008/09.
• The average yield per cow stood at 7,096 in 2009/10, according to the data.
• There was a 2.2% fall in the national herd size over the period, to 1.86m in 2009/10.

The latest provisional figures from Defra show a 2.2% (151 litres per cow) increase in the average yield per cow from 2008/09, to 7,096 litres per cow in 2009/10.

Despite the average yield increasing, the total herd size fell by 42,000, to 1.86m over the period.  The fall in the number of dairy cattle offset the increased yield, which led to an overall 11m litre fall in the total level of milk produced in the UK, to 13.2 billion litres. 

For more information on factors affecting milk production and milk yield click here.

¹please note that total milk production (in the table below and used to calculate average yield) is based on all milk produced on farm, including the milk which is delivered to dairies, milk used on farm in the production of dairy products, milk consumed in farm households, milk fed to livestock and farm waste, suckled milk is excluded.

²From 1999/00 to 2004/05 the average size of the dairy herd is estimated by taking the size of the herd at June and December from the agricultural census information, and calculating the population trends during the remaining months of the year. The average herd size shown in the table below is therefore consistent with, but not the same as, Defra's published agricultural census data. From 2005/06 data is obtained through the Cattle Tracing System (CTS).

The average yields have to be taken with a degree of caution as they are based only on the total milk production recorded divided by the size of the dairy herd.

Average Milk Yields by Milk Year

* Leap Year **Provisional
Source: DEFRA

Average Milk Yields by Calendar Year

Annual data shows that the average yield per cow increased between 2008 and 2009. Provisional figures for 2009 show that the average milk yield per calendar year has increased by 140 litres per cow per annum (2.0%) to 7,083 litres per cow per annum. The average yield in 2009 was 18.8% (1,120 litres per cow per annum) higher than ten years previously when the average stood at 5,964 litres per cow per annum.

For more information on average milk yields click here.

* Adjusted for leap year **Provisional
Source: DEFRA