In the last 36 years (1980-2015), Portugal more than doubled its cow’s milk production, reinforcing self sufficiency (the highest self sufficiency degree for milk, 112.5%, was achieved in 2015). The drop in consumption since 2005, contributed for this evolution, as well as the restructuration of the milk sector, that in 25 years (1989-2013) increased by 8 times the average number of animals per holding (from 4 dairy cows per holding to 34), promoting specialization to a level able to compete with other EU member states (in 2013 Portugal reached a value of 7 tonnes of milk per cow, higher than the EU10 average ratio).
Since 1985, Portugal became self sufficient in butter. On the other hand, the deficit of yogurts and cheese (self sufficiency degree in 2015 of 47.0% and 69.6%, respectively) increased. These two products were responsible for the negative international trade balance of 198 million Euros for total milk and milk products in 2015.
The ratio between “milk production prices index and food stuffs prices index” decreased significantly, with a value of 0.53 in 2015, the less favorable situation for dairy farmers in the last 36 years.
With the end of the milk quota system in April 2015, available data for the first semester of 2016 show that EU cow’s milk production increased, when compared with the same period of the previous years.