In Austria, the number of dairy cows fell by 1.3 percent in 2024 to about 539,400. Yet average annual milk yield rose 2.3 percent to 7,500 kg per cow, Statistics Austria reported Wednesday. Total production increased 1 percent to 4,020,700 tonnes. About 89 percent (3.58 million t) went to dairies and processors; the rest was used on farms.

By state, Upper Austria hosts the most dairy cows (167,000). Burgeland’s lowland cows stood out with 8,290 kg per cow—over 1,000 kg more than Salzburg’s (6,813 kg), Tyrol’s (7,034 kg), or Carinthia’s (7,042 kg) mountain grazers.

Sheep & Goat Milk Down
Milk from 27,400 dairy sheep fell 1.8 percent to 11,300 tonnes as per-animal yield dipped 0.2 percent to 414 kg. Of that, 9,800 t became food products. Goat milk also declined 0.7 percent to 26,400 t as the 40,200 dairy goats fell 1 percent; yield per goat rose 0.2 percent to 657 kg. Some 23,600 t of goat milk was used for food.