Milk

Milk is a white liquid produced bi the mammary glands o mammals. It is the primar soorce o nutreetion for infant mammals (includin humans wha breastfeed) afore thay are able tae digest ither teeps o fuid. Early-lactation milk conteens colostrum, which cairies the mither's antibouks tae its young an can reduce the risk o mony diseases. It conteens mony ither nutrients^[1] includin protein an lactose.

A gless o pasteurized cou milk

As an agricultural product, milk is extracted frae non-human mammals during or suin efter pregnancy. Dairy farms produced aboot 730 million tonnes o milk in 2011,^[2] frae 260 million dairy kye.^[3] Indie is the warld's lairgest producer o milk, an is the leadin exporter o skimmed milk pouder, yet it exports few ither milk products.^[4][5] The ever increasin rise in domestic demand for dairy products an a lairge demand-supply gap coud lead tae Indie bein a net importer o dairy products in the futur.^[6] The Unitit States, Indie, Cheenae an Brazil are the warld's lairgest exporters o milk an milk products.^[7] Cheenae an Roushie war the warld's lairgest importers o milk an milk products till 2016 when baith kintras acame sel-sufficient, contreibutin tae a warldwide glut o milk.^[8]

Throuoot the warld, thare are mair nor sax billion consumers o milk an milk products. Ower 750 million fowk live in dairy fermin hoosehaulds.^[9]