United Dairyfarmers of Victoria president Paul Mumford wasn't surprised by the sobering numbers in Dairy Australia's Situation & Outlook report released yesterday.
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"Farmers are under stress, they're tired and they're really questioning the viability of dairy," Mr Mumford said.
Despite record high farmgate prices, milk production is continuing to drop, with DA yesterday forecasting a decline of 3 to 5 per cent on last year's 5.7pc fall.
It takes the expected national milk volume down to between 8.3 and 8.5 billion litres for 2019/20, the lowest in a quarter of a century.
That's despite record high farmgate milk prices offered by processors desperate to secure a share of the shrinking milk pool.
The explanation is simple, according to the Situation & Outlook report.
Farmers in regions enjoying a good start to the season are clawing back profits lost in the last few tough years.
But, for those in drought or faced with dizzying water prices making even home-grown fodder expensive, this, as the report describes it, is "a second season with few palatable options".
There's little choice other than to sell more cows.
The national herd has shrunk 7pc in the last year to a yet-to-be-confirmed figure of 1.44 million dairy cows.
According to DA, 84,639 cull cows were sold in the 12 months to August and a staggering 102,042 dairy cows were exported.
Those export levels were up 113pc and represent heifers that would might otherwise have rebuilt the milking herd.
DA analyst John Droppert said the differing fortunes of farmers were laid bare in production figures.
"We've only got early numbers for September so we haven't actually released them yet but it's looking like Gippsland had a small increase in September," he said.
"Tasmania was up slightly, about 0.5-1pc, in September as well but everywhere else is still down.
"We're talking 10pc-plus for for Queensland, northern Victoria is more like 9pc whereas in western Victoria, there's been a 5-6pc decrease.
"These are provisional figures that might change but the scale of the difference between regions is apparent."
Mr Mumford wanted to highlight the plight of northern Victorian dairy farmers.
"It's getting a little bit beyond a joke," he said.
"The whole industry including myself, have to give that region some hope and an opportunity to grow their industry in some form."