9 May 2008

2 minute read

Europe

Statistics on monthly average farm gate milk prices in pence per litre for the United Kingdom are published for the thirteen months to March 2008. Weighted annual averages for 2003 to 2007 are also shown. (Table 1)

Statistics on the average butterfat and protein content of UK produced milk are published from April 2004 to March 2008 for butterfat, and from April 2004 to March 2008 for protein. (Table 2)

This notice will be updated at 09:30 on 12 June 2008.

Key points:

• In March 2008 the UK average farm gate price of milk (excluding bonuses) was 25.77 pence per litre.

1. UK farmgate milk price (pence per litre)

The average UK milk price is calculated from monthly surveys of milk purchasers conducted in England and Wales by Defra, in Scotland by RERAD and in Northern Ireland by DARD. These surveys together account for approximately 94% of UK milk bought by milk purchasers this month. The farm gate price is the average price received by producers, net of delivery charges. No deduction has been made for superlevy. Average prices for previous months and years are available at:

Table 1: UK farm gate price of milk (pence per litre)

2. Composition of milk in the UK

Average butterfat and protein contents are derived from information provided by milk purchasers via the monthly MQ12 returns to the Rural Payments Agency with additional protein data from Defra’s monthly survey of milk purchasers in England and Wales.

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