Milk production in Finland

Milk production in Finland

Finland is a country with a long and rich tradition of dairy cattle breeding. It has also long history in production of semen. Today, Finland is one of the most successful country of breeding dairy cattle.

The number of Finnish dairy farms has fallen rapidly, while the size of farms has increased accordingly. There are under 300,000 dairy cows in Finland. The main breeds are Ayrshire and Holstein.

In 2018, the average milk yield in Finland was 9,795 kg of milk. The fat content was 4.3% and the protein content was 3.5%.

The largest population of Ayrshire in the world

The Ayrshire breed was originally imported from Scotland to Finland. Since 1960 it has been the country’s most common dairy cattle breed. Today, half of the Finnish dairy cows are Ayrshire. The breed is characterized by high milk yields with excellent protein and fat content, fertility, good health of the udder and legs, easy births. In addition, Ayrshire is famous for its excellent adaptation to almost all climatic conditions.

Nordic Holstein

Black and White Holstein-Friesian cattle is the world’s most common dairy breed, which in originally from the North Holland. In Finland, the breed became more common in the 1960s from Sweden and Denmark. Currently, half of the Finnish dairy cows are Holstein breed.

Northern Europe Holstein is the most productive dairy breed in the world. Especially in terms of fat and protein, combining high yield, good fertility and high resistance of deseases. Their calving is easy and the stillbirth rate is low. Interbull has recognized the northern European Holstein as the best population for reproductive traits. Compared to other Holstein populations, Northern European Holstein is characterized by easy calvings – cows are able to calm down without help and produce viable offspring.