Drought effects less drastic than feared

EUROPE – Milk production and sales have increased so far this year, despite the drought in the region.

The news comes from the latest EU figures, which state that output from dairy farms increased by 0.7% in the first six months of 2003 compared with the same period of last year.

The majority of this increase was absorbed by the rise in demand for milk-based drinks and cheese production also increased steeply in the first six months in Northern Europe.

In the Netherlands, cheese output increased by 4.5% to 321,600 tonnes. In Germany it rose by 3.3% (907,400 tonnes) and in Denmark by 3.1% (163,100 t).

Further south, the figures indicate that summer droughts had more effect on milk supply. French butter production in the first six months of 2003 was down by 4.2% and cheese by 0.6%.