French milking output dropped by 0.3% to 23.7 billion litres in 2013. After experiencing a decrease in the first semester of the year, output nonetheless started recovering from the summer of 2013, continuing into the beginning of 2014.

Due to this drop, a sharp decrease was also registered in milk powder manufacturing, and to a lesser extent, butter and fresh dairy products. Manufacturing of drinking milk and cheese slightly increased.

As in 2012, foreign trade reached a record €4.3 billion for milk and milk-based products.

Standing at 141 million tonnes, cow’s milk collection increased by 1.1% in 2013 compared to 2012.

Some countries, such as Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Denmark, were particularly dynamic and even exceeded their quotas for the 2013/2014 period.

It is also worth mentioning that farm-milk prices recovered in the different European countries in 2013 compared to 2012.

In the main milk-producing countries supplying the world market, the changes in milk production over the year 2013 as a whole were mixed, with a slight rise in the United States and Europe, but a decrease in Australia and New Zealand.

Dairy prices remained high due to global demand, especially from Asia, as well as the dwindling supply in the first semester, particularly in Oceania.