Milk prices may well be at or over 40p for many producers, but if processors want to reverse the drop in milk volumes compared to last year and the medium-term average, another 5 to 10p will be required, according to Kite Consulting.

Milk volumes have been tracking over 4% down in recent weeks according to the official production figures, and while the gap will close due to the time of year there is already significant concern among some processors for volumes later in the year.

In normal times milk volumes are closely related to the cost of feed via the milk price:feed price ratio.

A ratio of 1.2:1 is conventionally viewed as being the economic threshold that is required to stimulate farmers to feed more in order to increase milk output.

With current compound feed costs in the high £300/t range and heading over £400/t the ‘incentive’ milk price needs to be between 46 and 48p in order to hit that threshold.

However, history also shows that in exceptional times a ratio of 1.3:1 is required to turn volumes around.

For that to happen the milk price needs to be over 50p, said Kite’s managing partner John Allen.

“Aside from feed, fertiliser prices and availability this grazing season will also be a key factor, as it is likely that farmers will cut back on fertiliser use, despite the false economy of doing so," he said.

“Lower forage volumes and higher feed prices will mean farmers will almost certainly reduce their cow numbers – especially as cull cow prices are generally high.

"To put the fertiliser price in context between January 2010 and July 2021 [prior to the surge in cost inflation] it took an average of 1,000L to pay for a tonne of fertiliser. Between August 2021 and February 2022 it took 1,800L to pay for a tonne and currently it’s over 2,000 litres.”

Exactly the same scenario is also playing out on the continent, with volumes in the EU’s biggest milk producers Germany and France being around 2% down on last year.

The projections are that there will be no increase in volumes until Q4 at the earliest, and that would depend on an easing of the cost situation.

"Farmers are only covering their costs and are not profiteering, another 10p is required from processors to reverse the decline in milk volumes,” he concluded.