Domestic Milk Intake by milk processors and co-ops was estimated at 760.4 million litres in September 2026, a decrease of 12.8 million litres (-1.7%) when compared with September 2025 and down 7.3 million litres (-0.9%) when compared with the same month in 2024.
In September 2026, fat content was 4.81%, up from 4.69% in September 2025. Protein content also rose slightly from 3.84% in September 2025 to 3.85% in September 2026.
Butter production was down from 30,100 tonnes in September 2025 to 28,600 tonnes in September 2026.
In Quarter 3 (Q3) 2026, Domestic Milk Intake was estimated at 2.61 billion litres, down 109.5 million litres (-4.0%) when compared with Q3 2025 and 13.8 million litres (-0.5%) lower when compared with Q3 2024.
Up-to-date trends of monthly Domestic Milk Intake for 2024, 2025, and 2026 can be seen in Figure 1.
Table 1 presents analysis of month versus month comparisons of the current year and previous year's Domestic Milk Intake.
| X-axis label | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 148.5 | 162.5 | 169.4 |
| Feb | 351.9 | 327.8 | 347.4 |
| Mar | 757.2 | 821.8 | 826.5 |
| Apr | 952 | 1074.5 | 1037.5 |
| May | 1107.4 | 1183.4 | 1163 |
| June | 1031.2 | 1080.5 | 1044.1 |
| Jul | 972.4 | 1004.9 | 980.2 |
| Aug | 887.2 | 944.8 | 872.9 |
| Sep | 767.7 | 773.2 | 760.4 |
| Oct | 673.1 | 706.1 | |
| Nov | 512.3 | 496.1 | |
| Dec | 267.6 | 259.7 |
Table 2 summarises the monthly collection of milk and production of milk products.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (05 November 2026) published Milk Statistics for September 2026.
Commenting on the release, Oisín Reade, Statistician in the Agriculture Section of the CSO, said: “Today’s figures show that the Domestic Milk Intake in September 2026 by milk processors and co-ops fell by 12.8 million litres, or -1.7%, compared with September 2025. Production of Butter was down 1,500 tonnes, from 30,100 tonnes in September 2025 to 28,600 tonnes in September 2026.
Looking at July, August, and September (Q3) 2026, Domestic Milk Intake was estimated at 2.61 billion litres, a reduction of 4.0% compared with the corresponding months in Q3 2025. When compared with Q3 2024, Domestic Milk Intake was down 13.8 million litres (-0.5%) in Q3 2026. Quarterly Butter production decreased by 5,100 tonnes, from 93,100 in Q3 2025 to 87,900 in Q3 2026.
The year-to-date (January 2026 - September 2026) Domestic Milk Intake was 7.2 billion litres, a reduction of 172.1 million litres (-2.3%) when compared with the same period in 2025."