Polish farmgate milk prices extend year-on-year decline to an 11th month
Poland’s average farmgate milk price stood at 172.17 zł per hectolitre in July 2026, as procurement prices remained below 190 zł per hectolitre in every province. Farmer.pl reports that stronger processed-dairy prices and forecasts for late 2026 may signal an eventual recovery.
Farmgate prices remain under pressure
Polish milk procurement prices have recorded an annual decline for 11 consecutive months, extending a downturn that is putting sustained pressure on dairy farmers’ revenue. According to data from Statistics Poland cited by farmer.pl, the national average farmgate price stood at 172.17 zł per hectolitre in July 2026.
Farmer.pl reports a 1.1% decline in the price paid to producers compared with the level offered by dairies in May 2026. The publication also states that the June price was 22.8% below the corresponding period of 2025. The different reference months in the report should be noted, but both comparisons point to continued weakness in the raw-milk market.
Every province remains below 190 zł
Procurement prices were below 190 zł per hectolitre in all Polish provinces. Podlaskie retained first place in the regional price ranking, as it had in previous months, with an average of 183.62 zł per hectolitre. Pomorskie recorded the lowest price at 160.20 zł per hectolitre.
The gap between the highest and lowest regional prices narrowed slightly in July to just over 0.23 zł per litre. Even so, the difference remains material for farms operating with similar production costs. At the reported rates, producers in lower-priced regions have less room to absorb expenditure on feed, energy, labour and herd maintenance, although the source provides no cost or production data.
Processed dairy market offers a tentative signal
Farmer.pl says forecasts indicate that conditions could improve toward the end of 2026. The publication also points to rising prices in the processed-dairy market as a possible early sign of recovery. No product-level prices or forecast values were provided, making it too early to quantify how much of any improvement could reach milk suppliers.
For processors, the key question is whether stronger dairy-product prices can persist long enough to support higher procurement offers. For producers, the duration of the decline matters as much as its scale: 11 months of annual price falls can constrain cash flow and delay investment even before changes in milk output become visible. Traders and market analysts will therefore be watching regional procurement rates and processed-product prices for evidence that the expected late-year improvement is moving back through the supply chain.
