FLUCTUACIONES EN EL PRECIO DE LA LECHE ¿ESTÁN PREPARADAS LAS EXPLOTACIONES LÁCTEAS GALLEGAS?

Abstract

After a period of low milk prices received by producers during the second half of 2007 and early 2008 they came to perceive almost 50 euros per 100 litres of milk. This brief boom period was succeeded a five year period in which the price received by producers fell by 42% to 28.59 euros per 100 litres of milk paid in 2012.

This situation threatened the continuity of many Galician farmers. The low income received was accompanied by increase over 25% in production costs mainly influenced by continued increases in grain prices and to a lesser extent oil prices.

During the past year the situation changed for the Galician dairy farmers because the weighted average price for the year 2013 improved from 32.65 to 38.94 euros per 100 liters of milk.

Through the fault of this cyclical pattern of ups and downs, many farmers abandoned their farms in the past 12 years. This makes us wonder, if the organizational and economic structure of the Galician dairy farms are prepared to cope with future situations. Keywords: milk price; economic profitability; dairy farms; survival