UK dairy exports lose momentum in April

UK milk production remained strong during the first four months of 2026, increasing by 2.16%, or 117 million kilo, compared with the same period last year. UK milk production Month 2025 2026 ∆ ∆% January 1,321,600,000 1,370,200,000 3.68% 48,600,000 February 1,212,600,000 1,255,800,000 3.56% 43,200,000 March 1,413,700,000 1,442,400,000 2.03% 28,700,000 April 1,444,100,000 1,440,300,000 -0.26% -3,800,000 YTD April 5,392,000,000 5,508,700,000 2.16% 116,700,000 UK dairy exports were particularly weak in April, declining by 18.39%, or 71 million kilo LME. This followed a less severe decline in March, when exports fell by 4.72%, or 17 million kilo LME. Export volumes decreased across most product categories, except for WPC80/WPI, FFMP, infant formula, butter, cream, and condensed milk. The most notable increases in April were recorded for WPC80/WPI and condensed milk. UK dairy exports - April Products 2025 2026 ∆ ∆% SMP 7,582 6,842 -740 -9.76% WMP 1,111 219 -892 -80.29% Whey 6,509 5,997 -512 -7.87% WPC80/WPI's 1,682 1,920 238 14.15% Lactose 1,205 815 -390 -32.37% FFMP 215 216 1 0.47% I/F 1,024 1,081 57 5.57% Cheese 18,744 17,952 -792 -4.23% Butter 1,696 1,696 0 0.00% AMF 1,779 1,489 -290 -16.30% Cream 3,502 3,688 186 5.31% Fermented 4,108 1,734 -2,374 -57.79% Condensed 5,100 8,108 3,008 58.98% Milk 104,129 51,993 -52,136 -50.07% Despite the weaker performance in April, year-to-date (YTD) exports remained slightly above last year's levels. Export declines were recorded in WMP, whey, lactose, infant formula, AMF, cream, and liquid milk. YTD exports through April increased by 1.60%, or 21 million kilo LME, compared with an increase of 9.64%, or 87 million kilo LME recorded through March. UK dairy exports - YTD April Products 2025 2026 ∆ ∆% SMP 22,412 31,175 8,763 39.10% WMP 2,923 2,317 -606 -20.73% Whey 25,152 22,124 -3,028 -12.04% WPC80/WPI's 6,654 7,021 367 5.52% Lactose 4,345 2,846 -1,499 -34.50% FFMP 816 875 59 7.23% I/F 3,999 3,158 -841 -21.03% Cheese 67,093 73,837 6,744 10.05% Butter 8,321 11,847 3,526 42.37% AMF 6,365 5,778 -587 -9.22% Cream 14,320 13,965 -355 -2.48% Fermented 14,057 17,427 3,370 23.97% Condensed 15,723 20,512 4,789 30.46% Milk 296,056 230,279 -65,777 -22.22% In contrast to previous months, imports returned to growth in April, increasing by 2.28%, or 5 million kilo LME, following a decline of 6.23%, or 25 million kilo LME in March. UK dairy imports - April Products 2025 2026 ∆ ∆% SMP 1,476 1,919 443 30.01% WMP 1,079 1,909 830 76.92% Whey 6,214 4,505 -1,709 -27.50% WPC80/WPI's 1,177 1,131 -46 -3.91% Casein 348 354 6 1.72% Caseinates 54 47 -7 -12.96% MPC 122 407 285 233.61% Lactose 918 387 -531 -57.84% I/F 3,779 4,082 303 8.02% Cheese 38,563 42,929 4,366 11.32% Butter 4,695 5,178 483 10.29% AMF 674 271 -403 -59.79% Cream 4,039 1,499 -2,540 -62.89% Fermented 26,400 27,623 1,223 4.63% Condensed 4,012 4,578 566 14.11% Milk 24,360 20,811 -3,549 -14.57% Import volumes declined in eight product categories during April. Growth was recorded in SMP, WMP, casein, MPC, cheese, butter, fermented products, and condensed milk. Particularly strong increases were observed in SMP, which rose by 65%, and MPC, which increased by 170%.Although YTD imports have remained below year-earlier levels throughout 2026, the deficit has narrowed steadily over recent months. The YTD changes were -2.18% in January, -3.84% in February, -4.53% in March, and -1.98% in April. UK dairy imports - YTD April Products 2025 2026 ∆ ∆% SMP 4,370 7,208 2,838 64.94% WMP 4,810 5,588 778 16.17% Whey 24,785 18,223 -6,562 -26.48% WPC80/WPI's 5,879 5,026 -853 -14.51% Casein 1,234 1,376 142 11.51% Caseinates 208 180 -28 -13.46% MPC 466 1,303 837 179.61% Lactose 2,829 1,592 -1,237 -43.73% I/F 19,762 14,574 -5,188 -26.25% Cheese 149,717 157,585 7,868 5.26% Butter 16,500 18,130 1,630 9.88% AMF 2,673 812 -1,861 -69.62% Cream 9,211 5,951 -3,260 -35.39% Fermented 99,965 110,614 10,649 10.65% Condensed 17,246 17,743 497 2.88% Milk 63,671 59,214 -4,457 -7.00% YTD imports through April declined by 1.98%, or 29 million kilo LME, compared with a decline of 4.53%, or 50 million kilo LME, through March. The YTD April change in dairy stocks and consumption amounted to 13 million kilo LME. This represents 0.24% of milk production during the January–April period and approximately 0.30% of domestic consumption over the same period.