Dutch Dairy sector faced highs and lows in 2024

In the new edition of Zuivel in Cijfers, ZuivelNL reflects on 2024, a year marked by sharp contrasts. Prices of fat-rich dairy products rose significantly, while protein-rich products remained stable for much of the year. That imbalance affected the entire chain: production, processing, trade, none of it ran entirely smoothly.

Historic gap between fat and protein

A market with two faces, you could say. Products high in fat saw strong price increases. Some even reached record levels. Meanwhile, the price of skimmed milk powder, a typical protein-rich product, hovered around €250 per 100 kilos for months on end. As a result, the price gap between fat-rich and protein-rich dairy products grew wider than ever.

Milk production hit by bluetongue

In total, Dutch dairy farmers produced around 14.4 billion kilos of milk. Of that, 96% was delivered to dairy processors. The remainder stayed on the farm or was used elsewhere. Still, milk intake fell by 1.7% to 13.7 billion kilos. Adjusted for the leap year, the decline was 1.9%.

A notable drop, with a clear cause. The outbreak of the bluetongue virus led to lower yields in many infected cows, especially during the summer months. On top of that came the effects of reduced derogation, which meant fewer cows were kept overall.

Exports on the rise

The export value of dairy rose sharply, up 10%, reaching €11.39 billion. That growth was mainly driven by higher market prices for fat-rich products. Cheese performed well, both in value and volume, but cream stood out: a 53% increase in value and 28% more in volume. The export value of butter and butteroil rose by 11%, although volume actually fell by 5%.

Even so, overall production came under some pressure. The dairy industry processed 1% less milk than in 2023. Cheese production dropped by nearly 2% to 971 thousand tons, mostly Gouda. Butter and butteroil declined by 8%. Only consumer milk and related products showed growth, up 3.8%.

Zuivelnl.org