European Union: Dairy and Products Annual

In 2022, milk production in the European Union 27 Member States (EU27) is forecast to increase by 0.2 percent to 150.45 million metric tons (MMT) compared to 2021. As EU liquid milk consumption is flat, most additional milk goes to processing. Cheese production is the main use and EU27 cheese production is forecast to increase to 10.4 MMT, which is 50,000 MT more than in 2021 and 168,000 MT more than in 2020. Both EU domestic cheese consumption and exports continue to increase. EU butter production is forecast to recover to 2.14 MMT in 2022, after a decrease in 2021 compared to 2020, for lack of milk and at the expense of exports. Non-Fat Dry Milk production is also forecast to recover to 1.56 MMT in 2022, after a decrease in 2021 compared to 2020, resulting in lower exports. EU27 Whole Dry Milk production is most affected by stagnating milk production, with significant production cuts in both 2021 and 2022 and lower exports.