UK dairy exports surge alongside milk production

UK dairy exports performed strongly in December, increasing by 66.53%, equivalent to an additional 174 million kilo in LME terms. This represents the largest monthly increase recorded in 2025.Most product categories registered growth, apart from WMP, whey, lactose, FFMP, and AMF. Milk exports rose exceptionally during the month, driven primarily by higher shipments to Ireland. UK Exports December Product 2024 2025 ∆ ∆% SMP 4,243 8,482 4,239 99.91% WMP 747 153 -594 -79.52% Whey 6,082 4,377 -1,705 -28.03% WPC80/WPI's 1,273 1,371 98 7.70% Lactose 722 605 -117 -16.20% FFMP 105 93 -12 -11.43% I/F 920 1,300 380 41.30% Cheese 15,060 19,018 3,958 26.28% Butter 2,008 2,985 977 48.66% AMF 894 808 -86 -9.62% Cream 2,897 4,141 1,244 42.94% Fermented 3,391 3,537 146 4.31% Condensed 4,996 5,846 850 17.01% Milk 45,504 173,121 127,617 280.45% As of December, UK dairy exports continued to demonstrate positive momentum. Year-to-date export volumes increased by 14.72%, reaching approximately 504 million kilo in LME. This sustained growth reflects a broadly favourable trading environment and consistent demand for UK dairy products across international markets. UK Exports YTD December Product 2024 2025 ∆ ∆% SMP 50,449 83,679 33,230 65.87% WMP 13,979 10,823 -3,156 -22.58% Whey 60,700 70,867 10,167 16.75% WPC80/WPI's 15,643 20,364 4,721 30.18% Lactose 11,761 8,432 -3,329 -28.31% FFMP 2,030 2,241 211 10.39% I/F 10,013 12,895 2,882 28.78% Cheese 197,042 205,767 8,725 4.43% Butter 29,207 31,540 2,333 7.99% AMF 13,858 17,722 3,864 27.88% Cream 38,979 49,771 10,792 27.69% Fermented 44,273 38,757 -5,516 -12.46% Condensed 38,376 52,209 13,833 36.05% Milk 749,858 788,233 38,375 5.12% Imports increased modestly in December by 1.65%, equivalent to 5.6 million kilo in LME. However, import growth earlier in the year had generally exceeded this pace. Declines in imports were recorded across most major product categories, except for SMP, whey, WPC80/WPI, MPC, cheese, butter, AMF, and fermented products. UK Imports December Product 2024 2025 ∆ ∆% SMP 938 959 21 2.24% WMP 1,312 1,128 -184 -14.02% Whey 4,775 5,048 273 5.72% WPC80/WPI's 906 1,350 444 49.01% Casein 499 275 -224 -44.89% Caseinates 41 21 -20 -48.78% MPC 54 158 104 192.59% Lactose 668 634 -34 -5.09% I/F 4,069 2,888 -1,181 -29.02% Cheese 36,025 38,779 2,754 7.64% Butter 4,323 4,456 133 3.08% AMF 167 331 164 98.20% Cream 2,342 1,386 -956 -40.82% Fermented 23,548 23,711 163 0.69% Condensed 4,520 4,403 -117 -2.59% Milk 11,983 9,486 -2,497 -20.84% On a year-to-date basis through December, UK dairy imports remained positive, increasing by 4.08%, corresponding to approximately 279 million kilo in LME. This represents a slowdown compared to earlier months. While import activity remains at a healthy level, it has been moderated by a strong increase in domestic milk production. UK Imports YTD December Product 2024 2025 ∆ ∆% SMP 11,899 12,746 847 7.12% WMP 14,934 14,678 -256 -1.71% Whey 64,712 71,911 7,199 11.12% WPC80/WPI's 15,890 16,867 977 6.15% Casein 4,513 4,065 -448 -9.93% Caseinates 786 480 -306 -38.93% MPC 1,716 2,298 582 33.92% Lactose 8,589 7,224 -1,365 -15.89% I/F 46,048 48,429 2,381 5.17% Cheese 450,323 471,380 21,057 4.68% Butter 50,107 47,503 -2,604 -5.20% AMF 3,129 5,968 2,839 90.73% Cream 34,165 35,376 1,211 3.54% Fermented 305,041 315,555 10,514 3.45% Condensed 53,451 58,642 5,191 9.71% Milk 230,911 214,871 -16,040 -6.95% As of December 2025, UK milk production rose by 4.92% year-to-date, equivalent to an additional 763 million kilo compared to 2024. This growth reflects favourable production conditions throughout the year. UK Milk Production 2024 2025 ∆% ∆ January 1,280,100,000 1,321,600,000 3.24% 41,500,000 February 1,223,800,000 1,212,600,000 -0.92% -11,200,000 March 1,361,600,000 1,413,700,000 3.83% 52,100,000 April 1,351,600,000 1,444,100,000 6.84% 92,500,000 May 1,421,800,000 1,504,300,000 5.80% 82,500,000 June 1,316,000,000 1,399,100,000 6.31% 83,100,000 July 1,285,900,000 1,350,600,000 5.03% 64,700,000 August 1,230,400,000 1,297,000,000 5.41% 66,600,000 September 1,188,700,000 1,260,900,000 6.07% 72,200,000 October 1,264,100,000 1,349,600,000 6.76% 85,500,000 November 1,259,900,000 1,326,900,000 5.32% 67,000,000 December 1,318,500,000 1,384,600,000 5.01% 66,100,000 YTD December 15,502,400,000 16,265,000,000 4.92% 762,600,000 The year-to-date dairy stock change through December represents 3.38% of cumulative milk production over the same period, amounting to 549 million kilo in LME terms.