
- The average annual yield per cow increased by 2.0% in 2014/15 to 7, 870 litres, according to provisional data.
- This has resulted in a 5.2% increase in total milk production, to 14, 639 million litres, from a static average UK dairy herd size of 1.9 million cows.
The latest provisional figures from Defra show a 2.0 % (158 litres per cow) increase in the average yield per cow from 2013/14, to 7, 870 litres per cow in 2014/15. For more information on milk production please see here.
The average size of the UK dairy herd for the 2014/15 milk year has increased on the year by 55 cows (3.1%). The total amount of milk produced has increased by 720m litres (5.2%) to 14, 639m litres.
Average UK Milk Yields by Milk Year
Average Size of Dairy Herd (thousand head)¹ |
Average Yield (litres per cow per annum)² |
Total Milk Production From Dairy Herd (million litres) 3 |
|
2001/2 |
2, 229 |
6, 449 |
14, 373 |
2002/3 |
2, 224 |
6, 450 |
14, 343 |
2003/4* |
2, 185 |
6, 631 |
14, 492 |
2004/5 |
2, 060 |
6, 886 |
14, 183 |
2005/6 |
2, 003 |
7, 001 |
14, 020 |
2006/7 |
1, 989 |
6, 963 |
13, 852 |
2007/8* |
1, 954 |
6, 950 |
13, 579 |
2008/9 |
1, 894 |
6, 974 |
13, 209 |
2009/10 |
1, 853 |
7, 056 |
13, 073 |
2010/11 |
1, 836 |
7, 406 |
13, 599 |
2011/12* |
1, 799 |
7, 641 |
13, 749 |
2012/13 |
1, 795 |
7, 361 |
13, 215 |
2013/14** |
1, 805 |
7, 712 |
13, 920 |
2014/15 |
1, 860 |
7, 870 |
14, 639 |
* Leap Year **Provisional
Source: DEFRA
¹From 1999/00 to 2004/05 the average size of the dairy herd is estimated by taking the size of the herd at June and December from the agricultural census information, and calculating the population trends during the remaining months of the year. The average herd size shown in the table below is therefore consistent with, but not the same as, Defra's published agricultural census data. From 2005/06 data is obtained through the Cattle Tracing System (CTS).
²The average yields have to be taken with a degree of caution as they are based only on the total milk production recorded divided by the size of the dairy herd.
3Please note that total milk production is based on all milk produced on farm, including the milk which is delivered to dairies, milk used on farm in the production of dairy products, milk consumed in farm households, milk fed to livestock and farm waste; suckled milk is excluded.

Average UK Milk Yields by Calendar Year
Figures for 2014 show that the average milk yield per calendar year has increased by 357 litres per cow per annum (4.7%) to 7, 899 litres per cow per annum. The average yield in 2014 was 16.8% (1, 136 litres per cow per annum) higher than ten years previously when the average stood at 6, 763 litres per cow per annum.
Average Yield (litres per cow per annum) |
|
2001 |
6, 346 |
2002 |
6, 493 |
2003 |
6, 621 |
2004* |
6, 763 |
2005 |
6, 986 |
2006 |
6, 977 |
2007 |
6, 931 |
2008* |
6, 972 |
2009 |
7, 061 |
2010 |
7, 303 |
2011 |
7, 563 |
2012* |
7, 477 |
2013 |
7, 542 |
Source: dairy.ahdb.org.uk
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