Milk production follows the decline of livestock farming

The amount of milk collected in the country continued to decline throughout 2024, following the trend of decreasing livestock numbers.

According to INSTAT data for 2024, a total amount of milk of 95 thousand tons was collected in the country, out of 101 thousand tons that were collected in 2023. Compared to 2023, the amount of milk collected has marked a decrease of 6.6%.

The decline is noted for all types of milk quantities collected.

Cow's milk accounts for the largest share of the amount collected in 2024 with 75 thousand tons, a decrease of 6.5% compared to 2023.

The collected amount of sheep milk reached 12 thousand tons, a decrease of 9.7% compared to 2023.

While the amount of goat milk was around 8 thousand tons, with a decrease of 3.1%.

Of the total amount of milk collected, about 12 thousand tons were used for the production of milk for human consumption, the rest goes for processing.

The structure of milk produced for consumption is dominated by processed whole milk 88.2%, semi-skimmed milk 7.3%, raw milk 4.0% and skimmed milk 0.5%.

The total amount of cheese produced also decreased. Cheese production fell by 9.9%, reaching 10,487 tons. Cheese produced from cow's milk fell by 9.9%, that from sheep's milk by 5.9%, and that from goat's milk by 16.8%.

The total amount of butter produced in 2024 reached 657 tons, of which 96.4% is traditional butter and 3.6% is melted butter./Monitor