Milk production is likely to slow down in the key dairying regions for the rest of the year, according to new forecasts from the European Commission.
The revised forecasts put production for the nine months from Apr-Dec down 0.4% on 2015 volumes, a reduction of around 350m litres.
Developments in milk production vary among member states, mainly due to differing rates of cow slaughterings.
Both Italy and Denmark have recorded lower numbers of slaughterings in the first three months of the year, and are expected to see only a marginal slowdown in production.
In the Netherlands, while slaughterings did not increase in the first quarter of 2016, the allocation of phosphate rights is expected to lead to a reduction in the herd sometime during the year.
Previously, uncertainty over the base period for allocating these rights led farmers to hold onto their cows regardless of financial considerations.
