Belgium Sees Significant Growth in Cheese and Dairy Production

In 2025, Belgium's cheese and fresh dairy production saw substantial growth, as revealed by Statbel, the Belgian statistics office. Cheese production increased by 24% compared to the five-year average, reaching 144,000 tonnes. Mozzarella dominated this category, with production levels rising to 90,000 tonnes, making up 62% of Belgium's total cheese output. Fresh cheese production also experienced a remarkable rise, growing by over 81% to 25,000 tonnes, while goat's cheese production reached nearly 10,000 tonnes, marking an increase of almost 6%.

Fresh dairy products continued their upward trend, with total production hitting 731 million litres in 2025, 7% above the previous five-year average. Desserts showed the most significant growth in this category, with output increasing by 15.4% to 130 million litres. Other products such as fermented milk and cream also rose by 6.7% and 4% respectively, while yoghurt production remained fairly stable.

Despite an overall decline in certain categories, drinking milk and milk-based beverages remained the largest segment in the Belgian dairy industry. Total production stood at 787 million litres, down 4.9% from the five-year average. This decline was consistent across whole, semi-skimmed, skimmed milk, and buttermilk. However, milk drinks bucked this trend, showing modest growth of nearly 2%.

Farm butter production recovered, increasing by over 5% year-on-year to nearly 68,000 tonnes. Meanwhile, milk powder production reached 231,000 tonnes, up 6.3% from 2024, although still 2.2% below the five-year average. Statbel noted a shift in production patterns, with increases observed across all sub-categories when compared to 2024.

Belgium's dairy sector heavily relies on cross-border trade. In 2025, Belgian dairies processed around 4.5 billion litres of milk from both domestic and imported sources, maintaining stability compared to the previous year. Imports included 443 million litres of milk, 138 million litres of cream, and 32 million litres of skimmed milk from neighbouring countries. Concurrently, Belgium exported 559 million litres of milk and 52 million litres of cream, underscoring the sector's reliance on international trade.