EU cow-milk price falls 20.07% year on year despite two monthly gains
The average EU cow-milk price fell to €42.22 per 100 kilograms in August 2026, 20.07% below its level a year earlier. Two consecutive monthly increases after nine months of decline suggest that the market may be stabilizing, but producer margins remain under pressure.
EU average remains far below 2025
The average cow-milk price in the European Union stood at €42.22 per 100 kilograms in August 2026, according to AgroNews Castilla y León. That compares with €53.22 per 100 kilograms in August 2025 and represents a year-on-year decline of 20.07%. The fall leaves farm-gate revenue substantially below last year's level across most of the bloc's major producing countries.
The monthly movement offers a more positive signal. August marked the second consecutive increase in the EU average after nine straight months of declines. The data therefore show an emerging short-term recovery, although two monthly gains have not yet reversed the much larger annual contraction.
Germany and Poland at the bottom of the range
Prices among the principal EU producers ranged from €40.14 to €46.20 per 100 kilograms. Germany, the bloc's largest cow-milk producer, recorded €40.14 per 100 kilograms, down 26.1% from €54.26 a year earlier. Germany's position gives this decline particular weight as a benchmark for processors and dairy farmers across the European market.
Poland matched Germany at €40.14 per 100 kilograms, compared with €53.36 in August 2025, a reported fall of 24.8%. Ireland reached €40.79, down 20.6% from €51.37, while Denmark stood at €44.41 against €56 a year earlier, a decline of 20.7%. These reductions of more than 20% indicate broad pressure on milk receipts rather than weakness confined to one producing region.
France, the EU's second-largest cow-milk producer, performed comparatively better. Its price fell 13.1% to €43.28 per 100 kilograms from €49.89. Spain showed the smallest reported decline among the countries compared, falling 10.6% to €45.05 from €50.39. Higher relative prices and smaller annual losses may give producers in these markets some protection, although both remain below their August 2025 levels.
Italy leads prices as the Netherlands rebounds
Italy posted the highest price among the major producers at €46.20 per 100 kilograms, followed by Spain at €45.05 and Denmark at €44.41. Italy had recorded €58.25 a year earlier. AgroNews Castilla y León reports an annual Italian decline of 26.7%, although the stated price values themselves indicate a smaller percentage decrease. The discrepancy underlines the need for market participants to distinguish between the published percentage and the underlying price series.
The Netherlands recorded €42.50 per 100 kilograms, compared with €56.25 in August 2025, for a reported annual decline of 24.5%. However, the Dutch price rose by €1.25 per 100 kilograms between July and August, moving in the same direction as the EU average. For dairy farmers, the recent monthly gains may slow the deterioration in revenue if they continue. Processors and buyers still face a market in which national price gaps remain meaningful, while producers must absorb annual reductions ranging from 10.6% in Spain to more than 20% in several northern and central European markets.
