Which processor paid out the best milk price in 2025?

Who paid the highest basic milk price in the Netherlands in 2025? That honor goes to the German Hochwald Foods, according to the DCA Milkprice calculator. It is further striking that A-ware and FrieslandCampina barely differ in average payment over the past year. Data from the DCA Milkprice calculator shows that the average basic milk price in 2025 was €52.50 per 100 kilos. This is €1.29 less than the average of 2022, which so far had the highest milk price. The milk price pattern over the past year has been quite dynamic, with a high start and a strong decrease at the end. It was almost the mirror image of the milk price development in 2022. In absolute terms, A-ware reached the highest milk price, as they were the only processor where the basic milk price exceeded €56 per 100 kilos. This was during the months of June and July when the milk price peaked. Hochwald leads all year round With an average of €53.47 per 100 kilos, Hochwald achieved the highest basic milk price in the Netherlands throughout the year. A-ware and FrieslandCampina follow in second and third place. The difference between the two is small. Over the entire year of 2025, A-ware paid out an average milk price of €52.88 per 100 kilos, which is €0.01 more than FrieslandCampina. The prices are calculated based on a yearly supply of 1 million kilos and the standard contents in 2025 of 4.45% fat and 3.58% protein. Processor Avg. basic milk price 2025 (per 100 kilos) Hochwald Foods €53.47 A-ware €52.88 FrieslandCampina €52.87 Lactalis Leerdammer €52.79 DOC Kaas €52.01 Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods €51.93 Arla €51.50 Cono Kaasmakers €51.27 (for December, the fat and protein prices are not yet known) Further payments to follow However, a reservation must be made in the ranking. Dairy cooperative Arla guarantees its members an annual additional payment of around €2 per 100 kilos, allowing for a final milk price of €52.73 as a base and €59.73 as a maximum. FrieslandCampina has also promised an additional payment over 2025, but this appears to be significantly lower. The cooperatives Cono and DOC Kaas/DMK can also still increase the milk price with an additional payment. It's good to keep in mind that the benefits of additional payments come with costs in the form of contributions. Top layer could achieve nearly €58 The actual paid milk price was almost certainly a few euros per 100 kilos higher last year, as most dairy farmers still earned a few bonuses for aspects such as basic sustainability and pasture access. The financially top-performing dairy farmers among the eight largest processors in the Netherlands earned an average of €57.89 per 100 kilos last year. The 'Beter Voor'-suppliers of A-ware were able to achieve a milk price of €59.74 per 100 kilos. In second place are the Tuurlijk farmers from DOC Kaas, who could receive €59.01 per 100 kilos. The third spot is reserved for the Tomorrow's Dairy farmers from Vreugdenhil, who could receive up to €58.73 per 100 kilos. It is notable that dairy giants like Arla and FrieslandCampina are among the middle performers in terms of payment for top milk streams. However, here too, the additional payment applies, just as in the above ranking of the basic milk price. A-ware, on the other hand, like all other private entities, has no additional payment, but, unlike the other processors, has a broad leading group, with a relatively high percentage of farmers receiving a maximum bonus. All mentioned milk prices are not factory averages or anything like that. They do not mean much for an individual dairy farmer. These are milk prices that farmers can achieve themselves. Different fat and protein contents lead to different prices as well.