Canadian Dairy Statistics Fourth Quarter 2007

By Statistics Canada. Canada’s dairy production went up again last year. Butter, cheese, milk and cream all saw substantial increases.

7 March 2008

3 minute read

Highlights

Canadian milk producers sold 3.17 million kilolitres of milk and cream to dairies during the first five months of the 2007-2008 dairy year, up 3.7% from last year.
Industrial milk sales, which accounted for 59.6% of all milk sold, totalled 1.89 million kilolitres.
Fluid milk sales, at 1.28 million kilolitres, were 0.9% above year-ago levels.
Canadian consumers purchased 1.28 million kilolitres of milk and cream during the first five months of the 2007-2008 dairy year, up 1.3% from the same period of the 2006-2007 dairy year.
Sales of 2% milk, the most popular, were 1.1% higher at 531 thousand kilolitres. Sales of 1% milk and skim milk both increased, at 255 thousand kilolitres and 122 thousand kilolitres respectively. Sales of standard (homogenized) milk, at 164 thousand kilolitres, declined 3.3%.
Total cream sales, at 124 thousand kilolitres, increased 2.9% from year-ago levels.
Butter production increased during the first five months of the 2007-2008 dairy year to 31.1 thousand tonnes from 25.9 thousand tonnes a year ago.
Total production of variety and cheddar cheese increased 4.4% from last year’s level during the first five months of the 2007-2008 dairy year.
Variety cheese production, at 100.2 thousand tonnes, was up 5.1% and cheddar cheese production, at 60.3 thousand tonnes, increased 3.2% from the same period last year.

Introduction

This publication provides a statistical summary on the dairy industry in Canada and the provinces for current and previous calendar years.

Data include monthly, as well as year-to-date information, on farm sales of milk and cream for fluid and industrial purposes, cash receipts from milk and cream sold off farms, production, stocks, and supply and disposition of creamery butter, cheddar cheese and other dairy products and by-products. Data series are available on a historic basis since 1920.

This publication, Dairy Statistics, provides statistical information on the dairy products industry at national and provincial levels. Through co-operation between provincial departments of agriculture, milk marketing boards and Statistics Canada, dairy statistics are collected, compiled, disseminated and analyzed on a monthly basis.

Information on the volume of milk and cream sold off farms and commercial sales of fluid milk and cream by dairies are used by governments and provincial marketing boards in calculating provincial market sharing quota allotment and skim-off credit. These data are also important as an indicator of changes in the supply-managed dairy industry, a major contributor to total farm cash receipts.

Analysis

Off-farm sales to dairies above last year’s level

Canadian milk producers sold 3.17 million kilolitres of milk and cream to dairies during the first five months of the 2007-2008 dairy year, up 3.7% from last year. Industrial milk sales, which accounted for 59.6% of all milk sold, totalled 1.89 million kilolitres. Fluid milk sales, at 1.28 million kilolitres, were 0.9% above year-ago levels.

Total sales of milk and cream by dairies increased

Canadian consumers purchased 1.28 million kilolitres of milk and cream during the first five months of the 2007-2008 dairy year, up 1.3% from the same period of the 2006-2007 dairy year.

Sales of 2% milk, the most popular, were 1.1% higher at 531 thousand kilolitres. Sales of 1% milk and skim milk both increased, at 255 thousand kilolitres and 122 thousand kilolitres respectively. Sales of standard (homogenized) milk, at 164 thousand kilolitres, declined 3.3%. Total cream sales, at 124 thousand kilolitres, increased 2.9% from year-ago levels.

Butter production increases

Butter production increased during the first five months of the 2007-2008 dairy year to 31.1 thousand tonnes from 25.9 thousand tonnes a year ago.

Cheese production on the rise

Total production of variety and cheddar cheese increased 4.4% from last year’s level during the first five months of the 2007-2008 dairy year. Variety cheese production, at 100.2 thousand tonnes, was up 5.1% and cheddar cheese production, at 60.3 thousand tonnes, increased 3.2% from the same period last year.