The results of the study on calculating the costs of dairy production in six European countries have shown that there is a widening gap between production costs and prices paid to producers, the EMB (European Milk Board) announced in a press release published on Wednesday 10 October.
According to a study by the BAL (Büro für Agrarsoziologie und Landwirtschaft), the average cost of dairy production over five years in six member states of the EU (France, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) was between 41 and 46 cents per kilogram of milk.
Over the same period, prices were on average between just 32 and 35 cents per kilogram of milk. "European milk producers are squarely in the red every month. If this dilemma is not solved, it will become increasingly difficult for dairy farmers to continue to produce milk in Europe", warns the author of the study. Even during 'good years' (between milk crises), prices have constantly remained below production cost levels. In 2017, production costs were higher than milk prices in all six countries (between 43.39 cents/kilogram in Germany and 48.89 cents/kilogram in Luxembourg). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)