EU dairy trade rebounds in April

In April 2026, overall EU dairy exports increased significantly, rising by 4.35%, equivalent to approximately 114 million kilos of liquid milk equivalent (LME). This follows weaker export data in March, when volumes declined by 13.24%, or 342 million kilos LME. During April, export volumes decreased in only three product categories: whey, fermented milk products, and liquid milk. EU dairy exports April Product 2025 2026 ∆ ∆% SMP 76,921 82,141 5,220 6.79% WMP 15,554 16,794 1,240 7.97% Whey 65,419 56,997 -8,422 -12.87% Products of Natural milk constituents n.e.s. 8,135 9,398 1,263 15.53% WPC80/WPI's 4,826 5,064 238 4.93% Casein 4,657 6,709 2,052 44.06% Caseinates 2,157 2,355 198 9.18% MPC 2,537 3,269 732 28.85% Lactose 19,642 19,860 218 1.11% FFMP 31,668 31,943 275 0.87% I/F 37,723 40,230 2,507 6.65% Cheese 117,443 124,890 7,447 6.34% Butter 21,582 28,939 7,357 34.09% AMF 1,694 2,216 522 30.81% Cream 22,654 23,352 698 3.08% Yoghurt 29,218 31,331 2,113 7.23% Fermented milk 20,617 19,565 -1,052 -5.10% Condensed 23,208 23,560 352 1.52% Milk 80,415 71,934 -8,481 -10.55% By the end of April 2026, the EU's year-to-date export performance had returned to positive territory after March recorded a decline of 0.64%. Export volumes moved from a decrease of 49 million kilos LME in March to an increase of 5.61%, equivalent to 479 million kilos LME, by the end of April. EU dairy exports YTD April Product 2025 2026 ∆ ∆% SMP 263,644 287,063 23,419 8.88% WMP 62,560 59,437 -3,123 -4.99% Whey 244,955 232,797 -12,158 -4.96% Products of Natural milk constituents n.e.s. 32,769 35,592 2,823 8.61% WPC80/WPI's 19,430 19,470 40 0.21% Casein 17,596 22,094 4,498 25.56% Caseinates 7,039 7,858 819 11.64% MPC 8,785 11,760 2,975 33.86% Lactose 81,107 73,250 -7,857 -9.69% FFMP 116,015 136,817 20,802 17.93% I/F 158,193 154,000 -4,193 -2.65% Cheese 450,821 475,814 24,993 5.54% Butter 73,242 98,993 25,751 35.16% AMF 6,434 8,324 1,890 29.38% Cream 84,298 79,946 -4,352 -5.16% Yoghurt 110,672 123,644 12,972 11.72% Fermented milk 74,326 79,550 5,224 7.03% Condensed 95,416 93,084 -2,332 -2.44% Milk 260,366 281,345 20,979 8.06% A key factor behind this improvement has been the competitive pricing of several EU dairy commodities compared with supplies from other exporting regions. In addition, ongoing geopolitical tensions continue to influence global trade flows and market dynamics.April marked the fourth consecutive month of declining import volumes into the EU. Imports fell by 17.25%, equivalent to 71 million kilos LME, following a decline of 22.08%, or 80 million kilos LME, in March. The largest decreases were recorded in whole milk powder (WMP), WPC80/WPI, and caseinates. EU dairy imports April Product 2025 2026 ∆ ∆% SMP 4,183 3,024 -1,159 -27.71% WMP 1,535 525 -1,010 -65.80% Whey 6,216 7,902 1,686 27.12% WPC80/WPI's 4,053 1,780 -2,273 -56.08% Casein 650 745 95 14.62% Caseinates 63 18 -45 -71.43% MPC 1,318 1,890 572 43.40% I/F 268 286 18 6.72% Lactose 1,751 1,599 -152 -8.68% Cheese 18,856 18,846 -10 -0.05% Butter 2,452 3,726 1,274 51.96% AMF 2,554 1,628 -926 -36.26% Cream 4,752 3,068 -1,684 -35.44% Conc. Liq whey 2,459 3,869 1,410 57.34% Yoghurt 964 1,017 53 5.50% Fermented 1,404 1,741 337 24.00% Condensed 5,718 6,755 1,037 18.14% Milk 102,232 46,824 -55,408 -54.20% On a year-to-date basis, import volumes declined by 5.49% through April, representing a reduction of approximately 82 million kilos LME compared with the same period last year. This marks a notable improvement from March, when imports were down by 8.95%, or 92 million kilos LME. EU dairy imports YTD April Product 2025 2026 ∆ ∆% SMP 13,024 13,549 525 4.03% WMP 8,124 2,122 -6,002 -73.88% Whey 26,079 29,877 3,798 14.56% WPC80/WPI's 13,885 8,102 -5,783 -41.65% Casein 2,425 3,012 587 24.21% Caseinates 405 165 -240 -59.26% MPC 5,000 6,548 1,548 30.96% I/F 1,153 1,005 -148 -12.84% Lactose 14,497 11,684 -2,813 -19.40% Cheese 66,375 69,716 3,341 5.03% Butter 7,690 13,379 5,689 73.98% AMF 10,834 10,152 -682 -6.29% Cream 15,497 10,812 -4,685 -30.23% Conc. Liq whey 9,429 12,423 2,994 31.75% Yoghurt 3,389 3,880 491 14.49% Fermented 6,672 9,877 3,205 48.04% Condensed 17,785 18,352 567 3.19% Milk 289,505 229,347 -60,158 -20.78% Estimated theoretical dairy stocks within the EU stand currently at approximately 3.71 billion kilos LME. This represents an increase of 24.45% since the beginning of the year. The rise in stock levels is primarily driven by increased milk production within the EU, while import volumes have continued to decline sharply.