THE projected national milk production total of nine billion litres could be under threat.
This is the opinion of Dairy Australia strategy and knowledge manager, Joanne Bills, following news that national year-to-date milk production was down 6.6 per cent during January.
The monthly milk production was also down 9.1 per cent on January last year.
Ms Bills said the nine-billion litre target was now looking "shaky" and a drop of 100 million litres to 8.9 billion litres was a more realistic total at this stage. Milk production was down in every Victorian region.
For the month of January, Gippsland production was down 11.7 per cent, in the north it was down 17.6 per cent while production fell 10.3 per cent in the west.
In year-to-date comparisons, northern Victoria has suffered the biggest decline. The region was down 14.9 per cent compared to the year before, while in Gippsland production was down 8.4 per cent and 5.6 per cent in western Victoria.
"It's people bunkering-down, (after) getting through the first six months," Ms Bills said.
"They are trying to get by with as little inputs as they can.
"It will take some time to turn that around."
Queensland and NSW production continues to power ahead. Year-to-date figures puts Queensland 5 per cent ahead and NSW 2.2 per cent in front.
Year-to-date West Australian milk production was 0.7 per cent ahead, while January production was up 5.9 per cent on the corresponding month last year.
Ms Bills said this monthly rise was off "a pretty-hard" January last year for production.
South Australian production was 5.1 per cent down for January and 3.6 per cent down year-to-date. Production in Tasmania decreased 10.6 per cent for January, compared to the same month last year, with year-to-date production 8 per cent lower.
