Market Overview

In recent years there has been a consolidation in the dairy farming industry in UK & Ireland. The number of dairy farms has continued to decline; in the ten years from 1997 to 2007 the number of UK dairy farms fell by 46% from 33,352 farms to 17,915.

At the same time, herd size has increased as the industry in general shifts to larger farms with greater economies of scale. The average herd size in 1995 was 76 head; by 2007 that average had increased to 112 head per farm. Despite the increase in average herd size, overall dairy cow numbers have declined from 2.46 million in 1997 to 1.95 million in 2007.

As the number of cows decreases the amount of silage produced to feed those cows is increasing. The UK has seen silage production increase from 13.38 million tonnes in 1994 to 15.00 million tonnes in 2006. This 12% increase corresponds to an increase of 6.5% in the silage production area to 2.15 million hectares. In Ireland, silage production has increased by over 20% to 5.3 million tonnes and the production area has increased by 55% to 1.24 million hectares.

Key Market Trends

  • Number of dairy farms in U.K. and Ireland continues to decline, while average herd sizes are increasing
  • Slight rise in the total amount of silage made in the U.K. and a significant rise in Ireland
  • Marked shift towards baling silage for beef cattle
  • Smaller farm enterprises remain more likely to make baled silage
  • Use of silage additives is declining in Ireland
  • Higher costs (labour, fuel, film) are putting baled silage under pressure
  • Highly fragmented end-user market, consolidation across silage value chain
  • There is little or no advanced planning for climate change
  • Climate changes experienced to date could be of advantage to livestock farmers by extending grazing and reducing demand for conserved forage
  • Farmers are generally compliant with the new plastic waste disposal regulations, although the costs are high and the procedure labour intensive
  • Haylage for horses commands a premium price but production is rising slowly

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