EU dairy exports expand in September, amid import contraction

EU dairy exports strengthened in September 2025, rising by 6.62%, or approximately 167 million kilo of liquid milk equivalent (LME). This reflects a solid increase compared with the same month last year and highlights the competitiveness of EU dairy prices in several product categories.However, not all segments contributed positively. Exports of WPC80/WPI, caseinates, MPC, infant-formula AMF, cream, and condensed products recorded notable declines. These results point to a challenging market environment for high-protein and high-fat commodities, where EU price levels remain less competitive globally. EU Exports September 2025 Product September '24 September '25 ∆ ∆% SMP 51.684 61.400 9.716 18,80% WMP 13.732 17.985 4.253 30,97% Whey 56.910 65.021 8.111 14,25% Products of Natural milk constituents n.e.s. 7.544 7.825 281 3,72% WPC80/WPI's 4.601 3.842 -759 -16,50% Casein 4.682 6.762 2.080 44,43% Caseinates 2.050 1.853 -197 -9,61% MPC 2.627 2.161 -466 -17,74% Lactose 19.370 19.855 485 2,50% FFMP 35.440 36.830 1.390 3,92% I/F 39.464 36.383 -3.081 -7,81% Cheese 115.653 117.363 1.710 1,48% Butter 20.743 21.999 1.256 6,06% AMF 1.984 1.821 -163 -8,22% Cream 20.729 19.347 -1.382 -6,67% Yoghurt 29.713 31.793 2.080 7,00% Fermented milk 16.186 20.886 4.700 29,04% Condensed 29.972 23.404 -6.568 -21,91% Milk 74.611 74.861 250 0,34% By the end of September, the EU’s YTD export performance had improved compared with August. Export volumes shifted from -1.77% in August to -0.40% in September, a reduction of roughly 96 million kilo of LME compared with last year. The improvement was largely driven by competitive pricing in several commodity groups. Nevertheless, elevated prices for butter, AMF, cream, and other fat-rich products continue to limit EU export competitiveness, encouraging buyers to source from regions offering more attractive price levels. EU Exports YTD September Product YTD September '24 YTD September '25 ∆ ∆% SMP 567.649 592.800 25.151 4,43% WMP 166.318 128.421 -37.897 -22,79% Whey 557.856 563.327 5.471 0,98% Products of Natural milk constituents n.e.s. 77.945 74.172 -3.773 -4,84% WPC80/WPI's 41.029 40.855 -174 -0,42% Casein 42.888 47.342 4.454 10,39% Caseinates 19.102 15.678 -3.424 -17,92% MPC 19.477 20.931 1.454 7,47% Lactose 200.281 181.443 -18.838 -9,41% FFMP 297.278 299.916 2.638 0,89% I/F 358.785 351.313 -7.472 -2,08% Cheese 1.034.094 1.040.114 6.020 0,58% Butter 180.910 181.937 1.027 0,57% AMF 19.966 17.298 -2.668 -13,36% Cream 205.176 177.842 -27.334 -13,32% Yoghurt 247.279 263.696 16.417 6,64% Fermented milk 157.802 180.473 22.671 14,37% Condensed 239.279 211.553 -27.726 -11,59% Milk 699.410 937.554 238.144 34,05% Imports into the EU contracted sharply in September 2025, falling by 5.30% or around 16 million kilo of LME. This represents a further decline compared with August, when imports decreased by 4.67%, indicating a clear deterioration in import activity. The most significant reductions were recorded in whey, WPC80/WPI, casein, MPC, lactose, infant formula, and milk. Within the liquids category, cream and concentrated whey imports increased markedly. Fermented products and yoghurt also posted gains, though to a lesser extent. EU Imports September '25 Product September '24 September '25 ∆ ∆% SMP 1.911 3.298 1.387 72,58% WMP 1.103 1.234 131 11,88% Whey 4.849 4.211 -638 -13,16% WPC80/WPI's 4.601 3.842 -759 -16,50% Casein 1.128 680 -448 -39,72% Caseinates 25 100 75 300,00% MPC 1.281 1.195 -86 -6,71% Lactose 3.304 2.642 -662 -20,04% I/F 420 351 -69 -16,43% Cheese 15.151 16.596 1.445 9,54% Butter 1.292 1.604 312 24,15% AMF 2.325 2.422 97 4,17% Cream 1.632 2.668 1.036 63,48% Conc. Liq whey 1.613 3.159 1.546 95,85% Yoghurt 895 1.043 148 16,54% Fermented 1.930 2.455 525 27,20% Condensed 2.820 4.091 1.271 45,07% Milk 52.964 22.978 -29.986 -56,62% As of August, YTD imports had risen by 8.64%, equal to an increase of around 226 million kilo of LME compared with the previous year. By September, YTD growth had softened to 7.09%, corresponding to an increase of 213 million kilo of LME. EU Imports YTD September '25 Product YTD September '24 YTD September '25 ∆ ∆% SMP 32.188 34.452 2.264 7,03% WMP 13.255 14.748 1.493 11,26% Whey 35.273 34.306 -967 -2,74% WPC80/WPI's 41.027 40.855 -172 -0,42% Casein 9.355 7.508 -1.847 -19,74% Caseinates 461 888 427 92,62% MPC 12.388 11.365 -1.023 -8,26% Lactose 36.051 23.290 -12.761 -35,40% I/F 2.836 3.220 384 13,54% Cheese 137.179 145.599 8.420 6,14% Butter 8.724 23.226 14.502 166,23% AMF 16.978 30.604 13.626 80,26% Cream 18.060 33.891 15.831 87,66% Conc. Liq whey 21.784 22.292 508 2,33% Yoghurt 9.394 9.418 24 0,26% Fermented 26.770 27.084 314 1,17% Condensed 28.794 41.208 12.414 43,11% Milk 589.665 569.634 -20.031 -3,40% Estimated theoretical dairy stocks within the EU currently stand at approximately 2.25 billion kilo of LME. This represents a decline of 1.54% since the start of the year and is equal to about 2.01% of YTD September milk production.