EU Dairy exports fall as imports surge in July

In July 2025, overall EU dairy exports declined by 2.55%, equivalent to approximately 74 million kilo of liquid milk equivalents (LME). This annual contraction highlights the continued challenges in certain product categories and key markets.Despite the overall decline, several categories performed strongly. Exports of skimmed milk powder (SMP), casein, cheese, butter, and infant formula, along with various liquid dairy products, recorded notable gains, reflecting resilient demand across several regions. In contrast, exports of cream and condensed milk weakened, weighing on the overall balance and contributing to the negative total. EU Exports July 2025 Product July '24 July '25 ∆ ∆% SMP 63.835 72.680 8.845 13,86% WMP 19.132 14.219 -4.913 -25,68% Whey 72.261 62.162 -10.099 -13,98% Products of Natural milk constituents n.e.s. 8.369 9.464 1.095 13,08% WPC80/WPI's 5.809 4.386 -1.423 -24,50% Casein 5.600 6.262 662 11,82% Caseinates 2.224 1.853 -371 -16,68% MPC 2.203 2.531 328 14,89% Lactose 21.492 19.991 -1.501 -6,98% FFMP 41.182 36.679 -4.503 -10,93% I/F 42.157 43.037 880 2,09% Cheese 122.566 125.757 3.191 2,60% Butter 20.288 22.166 1.878 9,26% AMF 2.348 1.863 -485 -20,66% Cream 25.568 19.284 -6.284 -24,58% Yoghurt 28.486 32.091 3.605 12,66% Fermented milk 18.269 20.198 1.929 10,56% Condensed 28.148 24.404 -3.744 -13,30% Milk 84.095 83.624 -471 -0,56% By the end of July 2025, cumulative EU dairy exports showed a slight improvement compared with June. Year-to-date export volumes moved from -1.47% in June to -0.99% in July, representing a shortfall of around 189 million kilo of LME compared with the previous year. A major factor behind this shortfall has been the elevated price levels of butterfat products within the EU. Persistently high prices for butter, anhydrous milk fat (AMF), and other fat-rich commodities have reduced the competitiveness of European exports on the global market, as buyers increasingly turned to alternative suppliers offering more favorable prices. EU Exports YTD July Product YTD July '24 YTD July '25 ∆ ∆% SMP 454.184 472.643 18.459 4,06% WMP 133.510 102.551 -30.959 -23,19% Whey 440.894 433.652 -7.242 -1,64% Products of Natural milk constituents n.e.s. 60.978 58.577 -2.401 -3,94% WPC80/WPI's 31.112 33.058 1.946 6,25% Casein 33.392 36.097 2.705 8,10% Caseinates 15.426 12.353 -3.073 -19,92% MPC 14.709 16.738 2.029 13,79% Lactose 159.874 144.253 -15.621 -9,77% FFMP 223.138 229.291 6.153 2,76% I/F 279.803 283.377 3.574 1,28% Cheese 803.065 815.420 12.355 1,54% Butter 123.500 140.453 16.953 13,73% AMF 16.376 13.575 -2.801 -17,10% Cream 163.266 142.772 -20.494 -12,55% Yoghurt 190.282 202.411 12.129 6,37% Fermented milk 123.500 141.673 18.173 14,71% Condensed 185.270 166.441 -18.829 -10,16% Milk 549.456 504.582 -44.874 -8,17% Imports into the EU in July 2025 rebounded sharply, increasing by 8.11%, or 26 million kilo of LME. This marks a significant turnaround from June, when imports grew by 5.28%. The recovery was driven largely by butterfat-based products, particularly butter, AMF, cheese, and cream, all of which posted strong gains. Within the liquid category, condensed milk showed the sharpest rise, while other liquid dairy products also grew, though at a more modest pace. EU Imports July '25 Product July '24 July '25 ∆ ∆% SMP 4.332 4.061 -271 -6,26% WMP 981 547 -434 -44,24% Whey 4.130 3.150 -980 -23,73% WPC80/WPI's 2.925 2.625 -300 -10,26% Casein 3.405 1.133 -2.272 -66,73% Caseinates 60 67 7 11,67% MPC 932 1.556 624 66,95% Lactose 4.869 1.456 -3.413 -70,10% I/F 357 660 303 84,87% Cheese 14.891 15.404 513 3,45% Butter 894 2.593 1.699 190,04% AMF 1.728 5.855 4.127 238,83% Cream 1.821 2.937 1.116 61,29% Conc. Liq whey 2.136 2.129 -7 -0,33% Yoghurt 1.021 1.510 489 47,89% Fermented 5.881 4.301 -1.580 -26,87% Condensed 1.277 4.145 2.868 224,59% Milk 48.161 70.656 22.495 46,71% On a year-to-date basis, imports had risen by 4.675% in June, equivalent to 95 million kilo of LME. By July, this growth had strengthened further to 7.65%, adding approximately 178 million kilo of LME compared with the same period in 2024. EU Imports YTD July '25 Product YTD July '24 YTD July '25 ∆ ∆% SMP 27.750 27.324 -426 -1,54% WMP 9.893 11.206 1.313 13,27% Whey 27.399 26.712 -687 -2,51% WPC80/WPI's 21.860 24.393 2.533 11,59% Casein 7.381 5.817 -1.564 -21,19% Caseinates 373 662 289 77,48% MPC 9.759 8.686 -1.073 -10,99% Lactose 31.737 19.625 -12.112 -38,16% I/F 2.132 2.490 358 16,79% Cheese 108.071 113.275 5.204 4,82% Butter 6.453 16.034 9.581 148,47% AMF 13.127 24.663 11.536 87,88% Cream 13.130 30.121 16.991 129,41% Conc. Liq whey 18.576 17.655 -921 -4,96% Yoghurt 7.359 7.192 -167 -2,27% Fermented 21.755 19.955 -1.800 -8,27% Condensed 24.603 33.505 8.902 36,18% Milk 461.192 471.304 10.112 2,19% At present, theoretical stocks of LME in the European Union are around 1.9 billion kilo, reflecting a decline of about 13.57% since the beginning of the year. This reduction is primarily the result of lower milk production compared with 2024, which has tightened overall supply. Current theoretical stocks stand at 2.19% of the year-to-date July milk production.