Dairy Report: What Does Coronavirus Mean for the Dairy Markets?

There is concern about what the coronavirus could mean for milk prices. Last week. prices fell 2-12 cents and cheese prices are continuing a downward fall.

The CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, Tom Vilasck saying there are two reasons for the drop: First is a backlog in Chinese ports. The other is a reduced demand. He believes on a global basis, the virus could knock 6 to maybe 7% off dairy prices over the next 12 months.

He says prices are being partially offset by poor weather in New Zealand. 

The U.S. department of Agriculture and the U.S. department of Health and Human Services are being urged to lift limits on saturated fats in their upcoming dietary guidelines for Americans. 

The request comes from 10-top nutrition scientists from the U.S., Canada and Denmark. They say there is no strong scientific evidence that current population-wide upper limits on commonly consumed saturated fats in the U.S. will prevent cardiovascular disease or reduce mortality. 

They say a continued limit on these fats, like in whole milk, is therefore not justified. They also note there is evidence saturated-fat intake may actually be associated with a lower risk of experiencing a stroke.

For previous Dairy Report coverage, watch:

• Dairy Report: Dairy Farmer Pleads Guilty to Nearly $60M in Fraud
• Dairy Report: Dairy Farm Numbers Drop Nearly 9% From Last Year
• Dairy Report: DFA to Purchase 44 Dean Foods Facilities