EU Farm Gate Milk Prices Drop Slightly in January

The latest EU milk market observatory report reveals a slight decline in average EU farm gate milk prices, recording a 2% drop in January compared to December's figures. The data, compiled by the European Commission's Agricultural and Rural Development Directorate, indicates an average price of 53.5c/kg.

Meanwhile, butter prices surged to 728€/kg, marking a 9% increase at the start of 2025 compared to the previous month.

A separate report highlighted a 15.3% spike in EU milk prices in the last quarter of 2024 compared to the same quarter in 2023, with substantial increases recorded in Ireland (43.7%), Lithuania (33.2%), Belgium (30.8%), and Sweden (30.3%).

Overall, agricultural output prices rose by 2.2% in the fourth quarter of 2024, marking the first increase since early 2023, according to Eurostat. However, the input costs, including energy and fertilizers, saw a decline of 2.7% during the same period.