Dutch Dairy Cows Produce More Milk Than Irish Cows

The Netherlands ended its nitrates derogation on December 31, 2025. In April, authorities approved a €615.7 million scheme intended to reduce the country’s dairy herd. Milk output nevertheless remained strong in the period covered by the latest Dutch breeding data.

CRV, a Dutch livestock-breeding improvement centre, reported average pedigree production of 9,935kg of milk per cow between September 1, 2025, and August 31, 2026. Milk contained an average of 4.48% butterfat, unchanged from 2025, while protein averaged 3.66%, up by 0.02 percentage points.

Total milk solids increased by 48kg per cow during 2026, reaching 809kg. Average lifetime production at culling rose to 38,126kg of milk, with 4.43% fat and 3.60% protein. A decade earlier, the corresponding figures were 30,967kg of milk, 4.35% fat and 3.53% protein, while lifetime solids rose from 2,440kg to 3,062kg.

CRV also recorded a 137-day increase in the productive lifespan of Dutch dairy cows, to 1,413 days in 2026, or 3.87 years in milk. The number of rearing days fell to 759, which was 27 days fewer than a decade earlier.

Irish production also increased. Teagasc’s Achievements 2025 report put average milk yield at 5,999 litres per cow in 2025, 6% above the 5,674 litres recorded in 2024. Converted into kilograms of milk, the 2025 Irish figure was 6,179kg—3,756kg below the Dutch average.

On Irish ProfitMonitor farms, milk solids rose by 7%, from 481kg per cow in 2024 to 515kg in 2025. The Irish result comprised 4.36% fat and 3.61% protein and remained 294kg below the Dutch average of 809kg. Dutch farms include pasture-based operations, but many use total mixed rations to support production. PPP-Agro Advies, an agricultural consultancy, said grazing was declining amid the new nitrates restrictions and labour-related factors. Its studies and surveys found that environmental rules were associated with cows spending more time indoors and less time on grassland pastures.