Ireland exports a lot of dairy, Netherlands major buyer

The Irish dairy sector exported dairy products for a record amount of €7.3 billion last year. Notably, Ireland sold significantly more butter and cheese to mainland Europe. Here, the Netherlands is by far the largest buyer of Irish cheese and butter. In the past year, the value of exports increased by 14%. Of the total exports, €3.1 billion went to other European member states, which represents a 20% increase compared to 2024. The United Kingdom imported €1.1 billion worth of Irish dairy products, an increase of 18%. Exports to the United States rose by 11% to about €1 billion. With an export value of €2 billion, butter is the largest export product, followed by cheese with €1.7 billion. Other major export products include Fat Filled Milk Powder (milk powder with vegetable fat) with an export value of €975 million. Export of skimmed milk powder accounts for €530 million. This is shown by figures from industry organization Bord Bia. Netherlands major buyer The rapid increase within the EU is attributed to the tighter European milk production in the first half of 2025. In particular, the Netherlands imported a lot of Irish dairy in 2025. From January to October, Irish cheese exports (HS code 0406) increased by no less than 63.2% to more than 100,000 tonnes. Particularly in July, imports were high when the Netherlands imported nearly 25,000 tonnes. The Netherlands is also the largest buyer of Irish butter, although imports in the first ten months of this year slightly decreased by 4.6% to just over 60,000 tonnes. Export data (Harmonised system) for November and December is not yet available.