New Zealand dairy statistic numbers suggest a sustained attention to performance

Despite a challenging 2021/22 season, the annual New Zealand Dairy Statistics report released by DairyNZ and Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) shows an innovative dairy sector responding well during a changeable time.

In the 2021/22 season, 20.78 billion litres of milk containing 1.87 billion kilograms of milksolids was processed by dairy companies.

After reaching a record milk production per herd and per cow in the previous 2020/21 season, production dropped back to 2019/20 levels as the impacts of Covid-19, climatic conditions on-farm, inflationary pressures and supply chain issues presented a challenging year for the industry.

The trend of declining cow and herd numbers continued and was accompanied by a 4.3 per cent decrease in litres and a 4.1 per cent decrease in kilograms of milksolids processed, compared to the previous season.

The season saw an increased uptake of herd improvement services, with record herd testing levels of 3.79 million cows. Artificial insemination remained steady at 3.94 million cows.

This continues the trend of New Zealand farmers remaining focused on improving the production efficiency of their herds and utilising data and insights to support on-farm decisions.

The average dairy co-operative payout from Fonterra and Tatua was $9.52 per kg, which was a record average payout for farmers, while dairy exports reached a record $22 billion in 2021/22.

Dairy also supports and contributes to New Zealand’s economy, including providing jobs for around 50,000 Kiwis.

This performance was even more impressive considering farmers were faced with rising on-farm costs, staff shortages and regulatory changes.

This is the first New Zealand Dairy Statistics published since herd recording companies have been able to send data directly to the Dairy Industry Good Animal Database (DIGAD).

Key statistics from the New Zealand Dairy Statistics 2021-22 Report

• The dairy sector produced 20.78 billion litres of milk containing 1.87 billion kilograms of milksolids – a 4.3 per cent (~929 million litres) decrease in litres and a 4.1 per cent (~79 million kg) decrease in milksolids processed compared with the previous season
• Average milk production per cow was 386 kg of milksolids (made up of 216 kg milkfat and 169 kg protein), a 2.9 per cent decrease from 397 kg last season and back to similar levels as the 2019/20 season.
• Cow numbers have continued to decline, down to 4.84 million, a decrease of 1.26 per cent from the previous season.
• A total of 3.79 million cows were herd tested (78.3 per cent of cows) – a new record.
• 3.942 million cows were mated to artificial breeding.
• The average dairy co-operative payout of $9.52 per kg milksolids was the highest average payout on record, increasing from $7.76 in the previous season.