The market has been relatively quiet over Q3 and a lot of buyers seem to have covered their requirements at keen pricing when the market was at a low ebb. Milk production levels have also been stable but there certainly was a drop in volumes over September and October which showed early signs that the […]

There is concern within the Irish dairy industry as the EU announced a cut on Ireland’s derogation on application of nitrogen per hectare from 250kg to 220kg. This may sound like a bit of a mouthful so we’ll translate to simple layman terms. Some Irish farmers currently qualify for the nitrogen derogation permit granted by […]

Conflict has broken out depressingly yet again in the Israel/Palestine region. The region has been in constant turmoil since 1947 and events have escalated again significantly since the start of October with over 10,000 civilians killed mainly in Gaza. The current conflict shows no immediate end in sight as Israeli troops have now started their […]

Mozzarella is the best indicator on how cheese prices are moving as it’s the only truly global cheese.

While the market is relatively stable now, what isn’t as stable is the relationship between farmers and governments across Europe. The Netherlands is the world’s 2nd biggest exporter of dairy products by value and its dairy industry is a source of great national pride. However there have been major farmer protests since summer 2022 after […]

In further protest news closer to home there were demonstrations in June from farmers outside the Kerry Group plant in Charleville about the recent cuts to the milk price.

The rising costs of milk production have been further compounded by farm labour shortages and top European dairy producer Arla has warned of further price increases as a result.

In another sign of the times we live in it was announced in June that production of the famous Swiss cheese Gruyere will be cut by 10% over the next year. 

The NZ region’s exports were down around 4% this year

Prices are tumbling at rapid speed

The major Irish dairies have maintained their milk price

Since the start of November cheese prices have dropped significantly

The one potential saviour for the dairies and global milk prices is China

The future outlook remains bleak for European milk supply unless the milk price paid to farmers is increased considerably by processors. Farmers are drowning under the weight of pressure caused by the sudden severity of the price increases for all of their input costs. Inflation was already rampant in the post Covid economy and the […]

Prices have continued to move upwards since the start of the year. The European milk pool is shrinking at an unprecedented rate, with even strong performing countries last year, such as Ireland, starting to feel the pinch. Even though milk prices have risen significantly to reflect the increased costs farmers have been hit with, we […]

An interesting side effect of the dire situation in Europe is for the first time in living memory big European dairy traders from countries such as the Netherlands are looking towards the US for cheaper cheese imports. Prices in the US are much lower than Europe but the most popular cheese on the other side […]

Ingredient Solutions recently announced a takeover by the Austrian dairy company Rupp. Rupp are Austria’s largest privately owned dairy company and are a key supplier to the retail and food manufacturing sectors throughout Europe. The takeover by Rupp will increase investment in the company and there are plans to build a brand new state of […]

France and Germany are the two main milk producing countries of Europe accounting for 37% of the EU’s total output. Both countries had a very weak production year in 2021 with milk collections down 2-3%. According to the Farmers Journal ‘reports suggest very poor fodder quality in France and rising feed prices are putting the […]

At the moment the European consumer is not seeing the full effects of the price increases but it is predicted that this will be passed on by retailers in Q2.

Sustainability initiatives implemented by governments throughout Europe are also setting targets for farms to meet in order to cut down on emissions. The increasing threat of climate change is high on the agenda for governments to tackle due to the increased political pressure applied by a concerned public. According to a report by Globe News […]

Another looming cloud on the horizon is the increasing tension at the Ukraine/Russia border. The threat of war hangs over the region and both countries also happen to be key exporters of grain and ammonium nitrate which is used in production of fertilisers. Ukraine and Russia account for 30% of the world’s wheat exports. The […]

The first bit of hope that 2021 provides us exporters to the UK is the confirmation of the long awaited Brexit deal!

Cheese prices have remained firm so far in Q1 despite the wide-scale lockdown of Europe

We are already seeing signs of the effect of milk shortages with price increases being reported on most cheese products in February. Milk volumes are very weak on the continent with German and French processors reporting reduced intakes. The cold weather across Europe is hampering usual milk volumes. New Zealand are also exiting from their […]

Kerry Group are reviewing their UK & Ireland dairy business after an 11.7% drop in profits in 2020

Cheese is a food that people get passionate about and there are lots of unusual ways to use cheese. Of course it has uses that we are all aware of – cheese is the most popular addition to a burger bun, it’s in Ireland’s favourite sandwich, it’s a pizza and pasta essential. Cheese is so […]

All was still relatively quiet in the dairy industry at the end of 2019 and this period of stability was the longest we have enjoyed in some time. However there is a slight whiff of suspense in the air for at the start of 2020 as the recent Fonterra GDT auction on January 8th saw […]

The dispute between the USA and the EU has escalated since then and we now have the threat of an all-out trade war which could significantly affect market prices.

It hasn’t been the best few months for the French dairy industry as a British Cheddar and American Blue Cheese took the top awards at the World Cheese Awards in Bergamo, Italy. A panel of 260 expert cheese tasters judged the American Rogue River Blue as the world’s best cheese and Somerset’s Pitchfork Cheddar came […]

Halloumi Cheese supply is low due to the ever growing popularity of Halloumi has caused a severe shortage of stocks across the global market.

Major cheese products such as Cheddar, Mozzarella, Edam, Gouda have remained pretty static in price over the summer. Milk volumes have been healthy across Europe and demand steady which has kept price movements to a minimum. However butter manufacturers have endured a more challenging time as butter prices slipped back to the €3300/ton mark. In […]

There have been some rumblings between the US & EU regarding potential tariffs on European dairy. This is in part retaliation from the US against subsidies paid from the EU to French aircraft manufacturer Airbus. The much loved cheese products in the firing line from the US includes Stilton, Roquefort, Gouda and Edam. The USTR […]

Ireland had the biggest share of exports in 2018 at 25% followed by France at 21%, Italy 12% and Spain 8%.

Fonterra is forecast to report a second year of financial losses in a row as their international expansion plan has not enjoyed the expected success.

Research conducted by food economist Ciaran Fitzgerald has highlighted the importance of the Irish dairy sector in its contribution to the rural economy.

Butter pricing has been the driving force of the volatile dairy industry over the last few years so it is a good place to start with our current assessment.

The demand for Mozzarella keeps increasing as the global appetite for pizza especially shows no sign of slowing down. Even large manufacturers in Europe are finding it difficult to sustain the global demand.

Mass produced Camembert, which most consumers across the continent are familiar with, has been granted PDO status causing protests in france.

In contrast to the European market which is often under supplied in recent years there are reports coming from the United States where there are significant stocks of cheese waiting to be moved due to lack of demand.

Butter has dropped significantly and is now around the €4250/ton mark

Cheese prices have, like butter, also eased back following the trend of butter. Cheese had been relatively stable over the summer but there has been significant downwards pressure since then. Mozzarella is now trading around the €3300/ton mark and Mild Cheddar is around a similar level. Again there are signs that significant stock levels are […]

Politicians in both UK and Europe still seem to be in great uncertainty about what the eventual outcome will be.

There was a major announcement of a merger between the Irish co-ops Lakeland and Lacpatrick. The two co-ops are based around the border region and have a combined 3,200 milk suppliers with an overall pool of 1.8bn litres. This will make the new merged co-op the second biggest in Ireland after Glanbia. As both co-ops […]

Good news for dairy lovers everywhere as a huge international study carried out by McMaster University in Canada suggested that eating three portions of dairy a day could cut the risk of early death by one quarter. The study was was carried out on 220,000 adults and the results look very good for the dairy […]

As mentioned in the previous post many buyers were caught unaware yet again as butter soared in price over Q2 due to ever increasing demand. The price neared the astounding levels seen in 2017 where record prices were shattered. That record price hike was considered initially as a freak occurrence but it now seems to […]

As previously alluded to the record breaking summer we have experienced so far has been great for holiday makers and beach goers but the drought is causing great concern among farmers. Many have already been forced to dig in to their winter silage supply to sustain their herds due to the lack of grass growth. […]

Mozzarella is another product that, like butter, has experienced a volatile upwards trajectory over the last while. Many felt the sharp increases last year were also an aberration but this prediction didn’t hold out as we yet again saw a big increase over Q2. Mozzarella prices are now around the €3500/ton mark. While other cheese […]

Despite the continued turbulence on pricing, particularly evident for butter and mozzarella, we can at least now say we have experienced relative stability over the last few weeks. However this can possibly be linked with the holiday season and traders have been quiet. Another cloud looming on the horizon however is Brexit, and negotiations don’t […]