Future trends in milk consumption and composition.

It is always dangerous to predict how markets could change in the future and what the possible response by the dairy industry to such trends might be. There are, nevertheless, a number of current trends that might, if they continue in their present direction, bring about important changes both in the production and manufacturing sides of the dairy industry. These scenarios are, of course, subject to considerable influence by political forces which, for social or national considerations, may wish to stop or alter the direction of the trends brought about by market forces. Total milk production in the UK and also throughout the EEC has risen substantially over the last 20 years or so. Current figures for production indicate that there will be an increase of about 6% for 1982-3 over the 1981-2 volumes. The volume of milk sold off-farm in the UK between 1959 and 1982 is shown in Fig. I. These increases in production are almost entirely due to increases in yield per cow, as the effects of improvements in feeding (brought about by the better understanding of nutrient requirements), greater feeding-stuff availability and breeding programmes aimed at improving stock become widely established. Cow numbers in the EEC have remained very constant between 1975 (24 801 x 103) and