Global Dairy Trade Prices Rise 1.5% as Milk Powder Markets Strengthen

Global dairy commodity prices moved higher at the latest Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction, with the overall price index increasing by 1.5%, lifting the average price to €3,339 per tonne.

The latest auction reflected renewed strength in milk powder markets, while butter and cheddar prices experienced moderate declines.

📈 Milk Powder Leads Market Recovery

Among the key products traded:

🥛 Skim Milk Powder (SMP) increased by 2.8% to an average of €2,830/t

🥛 Whole Milk Powder (WMP) rose by 1.6% to €3,051/t

The improvement in milk powder prices indicates continued demand from global buyers and may provide support to dairy market sentiment in the coming months.

🧈 Mixed Performance Across Dairy Commodities

Other dairy products also recorded positive movements:

🧈 Anhydrous Milk Fat (AMF) increased by 1.1% to €5,606/t

🥛 Butter Milk Powder posted the strongest gain, rising 10.5% to €4,146/t

🧀 Mozzarella and lactose prices also registered increases during the auction.

However, not all products moved upward.

📉 Butter prices slipped by 0.6% to €4,641/t

📉 Cheddar prices declined sharply by 6.5% to €3,138/t

🌍 Implications for Global Dairy Markets

The latest GDT results come amid increasing market attention on:

✅ Weather-related milk supply risks in Europe
✅ Strong milk production outlook in New Zealand
✅ Tight global protein ingredient markets
✅ Evolving demand trends across Asia and the Middle East

The improvement in milk powder prices may provide some support for global milk price expectations, particularly as processors continue to monitor supply-demand balances heading into the second half of 2026.

🇮🇪 Impact on Irish Dairy Sector

The auction also comes at an important time for Irish dairy processors, with companies including:

🥛 Lakeland Dairies
🥛 Dairygold
🥛 Tirlán
🥛 Kinisla

currently finalising June milk prices.

Stronger commodity markets could potentially influence future milk price decisions, although continued volatility across dairy categories remains a key consideration.

Outlook

While the latest GDT auction signals renewed firmness in global dairy markets, mixed performances across product categories suggest that market conditions remain dynamic.

Future price movements will likely depend on:

🌦 Weather developments in major producing regions
📦 Export demand trends
🥛 Milk production levels in Oceania and Europe
💹 Global economic and consumer demand conditions