Domestic milk intake by creameries and pasteurisers was estimated as 397.9 million litres for October 2004, according to the Central Statistics Office.
This was 4.1% below the corresponding 2003 figure.
Comparing the October 2004 milk produce figures with those for October 2003 shows that total milk sold for human consumption decreased by 4.4% to 43.6 million litres.
Butter production was down 6.4% to 11,700 tonnes.