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UK Processors Data
Published 29 July 09
Structure of UK Milk Processors
Information on the number and size of enterprises buying ex-farm milk and those producing dairy products in either England and Wales or the United Kingdom are given in this section.
Please note: The data is sourced from DEFRA's monthly surveys on utilisation of milk by dairies. Some smaller companies do not participate in these surveys and therefore it must be stressed that these tables give an indication of the size distribution of dairy companies in England and Wales but they underestimate the number and contribution of smaller manufacturers and therefore do not present a complete picture of the milk processing sector.
England & Wales Size Distribution of Dairy Companies
|
2008 |
Size Distribution of Dairy Companies by Milk Intake |
|||
|
Companies Processing Milk |
Volume of annual intake |
|||
|
Size Band (litres) |
Number |
% of Total |
Million Litres |
% of Total |
|
1 million and under |
11 |
16.2% |
4.7 |
0.0% |
|
over 1 - 10 million |
14 |
20.6% |
60.3 |
0.6% |
|
over 10 - 30 million |
14 |
20.6% |
234.3 |
2.4% |
|
over 30 - 100 million |
10 |
14.7% |
535.5 |
5.6% |
|
over 100 million |
19 |
27.9% |
8,800.9 |
91.3% |
|
Total |
68 |
100% |
9,635.7 |
100% |
Source: DEFRA
Around 91% of milk processed in England and Wales is processed by 19 companies each processing over 100 million litres per annum. These 19 companies only account for around 28% of English and Welsh milk processing companies. According to Defra data there are 68 companies processing liquid milk, however it should be noted that these figures are likely to under estimate the number of smaller manufacturers, therefore affecting the total number.
When it comes to the number of large companies supplying liquid milk to the market, around 92% of English and Welsh milk output comes from five companies. A similar situation is seen in the cheese market, with around 80% of cheese output in England and Wales coming from 9 companies. For more information on the structure of English and Welsh dairy processors click here
UK Distribution of Dairy Companies
|
2008 |
UK Distribution of Dairy Companies by Product |
|||
|
Companies Processing Milk |
Volume of annual intake |
|||
|
Production of specified commodity |
Number |
% of Total |
000' tonnes |
% of Total |
|
Butter |
8 |
100.0% |
82.7 |
100.0% |
|
Condensed Milk |
4 |
100.0% |
109.9 |
100.0% |
|
Milk Powders |
8 |
100.0% |
94.3 |
100.0% |
Source: DEFRA
Defra data for the UK for 2008 shows that eight companies producing milk powders, four producing condensed milk and eight producing butter. However, this data does not include all small processors. A more comprehensive UK survey is carried out once every three years to comply with EU regulations, the last one was conducted in 2006. This data shows that in 2006 there were over 520 dairies taking in raw milk, 181 producing cheese and 60 producing butter. For more information on this click here