IFCN: Global Milk Production Growth Slows After 2025 Surge

According to IFCN, milk supply is increasingly affected by climate risks, weaker farm economics and geopolitical uncertainty. Demand for dairy products remains supportive but is becoming more diverse. Conference participants discussed how businesses can plan for growth amid frequent short-term market changes.

Demand for cheese and dairy proteins was a separate topic. Rabobank representative Tom Booijink linked the prospects for these categories to rising incomes, urbanization, the spread of convenience foods and consumer interest in higher-protein nutrition. HighGround Dairy expert Eric Meyer noted that U.S. milk production had grown through herd expansion, higher milk components and investment in processing. He identified feed costs and weather risks as factors that could limit further expansion.

In discussions of dairy farm economics, experts focused on feed efficiency. They examined how balancing amino acids and making better use of feed protein could support animal productivity and reduce nitrogen losses. Representatives of different regions also discussed access to water, labour, financing and processing capacity as conditions for industry development.

More than 200 specialists from dairy farming, processing and research organizations attended the conference. Participants held a workshop to discuss priorities for the Dairy Roadmap 2035. The IFCN press release provides neither a quantitative forecast for milk production in 2026 nor approved targets for the roadmap.