Dairy industry in Europe - statistics & facts
Milk and dairy products are important sources of protein, iodine, calcium and several other vitamins and a daily intake is of high importance for many Europeans. In fact, approximately 37 million metric tons of fresh dairy products are consumed annually in the European Union. To be named a dairy product, food must be produced from the milk of cows, goats or similar animals. The dairy sector includes food such as milk, milk powder, cheese, butter and yogurt as well as ice cream.
Although the Dutch love their cheese, a good majority of their cheeses are exported. The Netherlands is sending out most of its cheese to Germany and Belgium. Similarly, the French cuisine consists of a delicate selection of cheese. To supply other countries with the specialty, 667 thousand metric tons of French cheese were exported in 2021.
European dairy overview
In the United Kingdom, dairy product manufacturers produced a turnover of over ten billion British pounds in 2021. Dairy processing is a large part of the food industry in many countries across Europe. For example, in the Netherlands, dairy was the biggest sector in the food industry aside from other miscellaneous food products, earning just under 16 billion euros in 2021. Swedish dairy manufacturing had a significantly smaller revenue than the Netherlands, at around 2.7 billion euros. Liquid milk made up the majority of dairy food produced in the European Union. The rest of the European milk was processed into cheese, cream, butter, fresh dairy products, and milk powder.The dairy market in Europe
Based on its sales turnover of roughly 27 billion U.S. dollars in 2021, the French company Lactalis is the leading dairy manufacturer worldwide. Following this is the Swiss company Nestlé, and the French dairy corporation Danone, each with a revenue worth around 21 billion U.S. dollars. FrieslandCampina, another well-known dairy cooperative, is based in the Netherlands, and is famous for their Edam and Gouda cheese.Although the Dutch love their cheese, a good majority of their cheeses are exported. The Netherlands is sending out most of its cheese to Germany and Belgium. Similarly, the French cuisine consists of a delicate selection of cheese. To supply other countries with the specialty, 667 thousand metric tons of French cheese were exported in 2021.
