EU Dairy Prices Diverge as Butter and WMP Rise
The European Commission’s Milk Market Observatory published its weekly dairy commodity report on August 27, based on market developments through August 23. The figures, updated on August 26, cover benchmark prices for key dairy products in the European Union.
Butter averaged €404 per 100 kilograms, or €4,040 per tonne. That was 21% above its level in the same period of the previous year, placing butter among the strongest-performing commodities in the report.
WMP recorded the largest annual increase. Its EU average reached €356 per 100 kilograms, equivalent to €3,560 per tonne, which represented a 70% year-on-year gain.
The movement in SMP was in the opposite direction. The average price fell to €291 per 100 kilograms, or €2,910 per tonne, 43% below the corresponding level a year earlier. The report therefore showed markedly different movements between whole and skimmed milk powder.
Whey powder also declined, averaging €167 per 100 kilograms after a 16% annual reduction. Cheese prices were lower across several major categories: cheddar averaged €335 per 100 kilograms, down 26%; Emmental stood at €548, down 15%; and Gouda reached €382, down 22%.
Edam was priced at €375 per 100 kilograms, but the report did not provide a year-on-year comparison for that product. The contrasting figures are being tracked through the Commission’s regular market data, which is used by dairy producers, processors, traders and analysts.
