DCA Market Intelligence publishes a weekly benchmark price for Skimmed Milk. The specifications of this benchmark price are described below.
Fresh cow’s milk with fat content reduced to 1.5% or less.
Northwestern Europe (NWE), the Netherlands and Germany
At least 100 kg
The average volume-weighted price, excluding commission and VAT, of transactions completed during the assessment period from Friday of the preceding week through Thursday of the current week, for the product specified in this document.
Delivery within a week
Ex Works
EUR/100 kg
Price input is collected until 15:00 CET on Thursday. The price reporters of DCA Market Intelligence approach contributors who are active in the market, as specified in this document. Price and possible contributor comments are entered into the Price Reporting System of DCA Market Intelligence.
The Price Reporting System calculates the benchmark price based on the price input provided by all contributors. This is carried out using the following method:
Each contributor submits a single transaction price: the price at which the largest volume was traded by that contributor during the reporting period. This is referred to as the price associated with the largest reported volume per contributor. Contributors are not required to disclose or quantify the associated volume. Instead, they are expected to internally identify the transaction that reflects their highest-volume trade of the week and report only the corresponding price. This price serves as the sole input for the benchmark calculation.
This approach ensures consistency and relevance of price input while maintaining confidentiality of commercially sensitive volume data. The methodology aligns with IOSCO principles of transparency, objectivity, and reproducibility.
Any submitted low and high prices are not included in the calculation but are recorded separately to indicate the overall price spread observed in the market.
Method for dynamic standard deviation
The collected price inputs form the dataset for the week. The standard deviation of this dataset is calculated, and DCA Market Intelligence applies a dynamic method, where the statistical distribution of submitted prices determines which data points are considered representative. Prices that fall statistically outside this range are classified as outliers and excluded from the calculation.
The benchmark price is then determined as the average of the remaining representative price inputs. No volume weighting is applied between contributors, and no additional volume data is collected. The benchmark price is rounded to €5 per metric ton.
The price reporter retains the ability to adjust the calculated benchmark price upwards or downwards by a maximum of the rounding increment (€0,50), if they judge that the calculated value does not adequately reflect prevailing market sentiment or dynamics. Any such adjustment is documented and accompanied by a brief justification.
The benchmark price is published on Thursday at 15:30 CET. The publication on the Dairy Platform of DCA Market Intelligence includes:
| Benchmark | The DCA Benchmark Price published for the respective week |
| Region | The country or region the benchmark covers: NWE = Northwestern Europe, EU = European Union, DE = Germany, FR = France, NL/BE = Netherlands & Belgium, UK/IE = United Kingdom & Ireland |
| Standard Deviation Percentage (SD%) | The standard deviation expressed as a percentage of the mean benchmark price, indicating the degree of variation among accepted price submissions |
| Standard Deviation Range (SDR) | The range of absolute price submissions that fall within the statistical inclusion range and are used in the benchmark calculation. Submissions outside this range are excluded as outliers |
| Contributors | The number of contributors whose price submissions were included in the final benchmark calculation, along with the total number of contributors approached |
| Lowest price | The lowest price submitted during the reporting period, including outliers |
| Highest price | The highest price submitted during the reporting period, including outliers |
In the event that the standard assessment procedure cannot be applied in a given reporting week - due to limited data availability, disrupted market activity, or other exceptional circumstances - DCA Market Intelligence management may determine how the final benchmark price will be established, or may decide to refrain from publishing a price for that week. Any such deviation from the standard procedure will be accompanied by a brief explanation.
This provision is in accordance with the principles set out in the DCA Market Intelligence Methodology, which provides further detail on procedural exceptions, fallback protocols, and the rationale for non-publication. Market participants are encouraged to consult the Methodology document for a comprehensive understanding of how such situations are addressed.
Version: May 2025