The Dutch import of dairy products will rise sharply in 2022. This is evident from a retrospective of the dairy market of ZuivelNL. Imports of cheese, milk, cream and whey products increased in both volume and value. As a result, the dairy trade surplus in 2022 was considerably higher than the year before.
In addition to being an exporter, the Netherlands is also a major importer of dairy products. In 2022, the import value rose sharply to almost €5,5 billion, which means that the Netherlands imported 36% more than in 2021. As a result, the dairy trade surplus for 2022 will amount to €5,3 billion.
Most cheese, milk, cream and whey products came from other EU Member States, in particular from Germany, Belgium and Ireland. 5% of dairy products come from outside the EU, two thirds of which come from the United Kingdom.
Export value also higher
ZuivelNL reports in its annual report that the Dutch export value of dairy will also increase sharply in 2022. With a plus of 32%, the value is almost €10,8 billion higher compared to 2021. This is the result of a combination of significantly higher market prices and volume growth in a number of products. With the exception of the decrease in lactose, all product groups contributed to this increase.
Milk price 46% higher
Characteristic for 2022 were the high milk prices. The upward trend that had already started at the end of 2021 was continued the following year. From the second half of 2022, the milk price paid was around the record level of €60 per 100 kilos, according to ZuivelNL. On average, the Dutch milk price level in 2022 was about 46% above the level of the previous year. It was not until the second half of the year that the milk price was so high that the yield improved strongly, also because the cost price fell.
Increase in milk production
In total, Dutch milk production increased by 2022% in 1 to more than 14 billion kilos. After a drop in production in the first five months of the year, the tide turned in June after 1,5 years. Dairy farmers increased production as a result of the increased milk prices.
The dairy industry, on the other hand, processed almost 3% less milk than in 2021. Approximately 14,1 billion kilos of milk was processed. More than half of that went to cheese production. With a volume of 949.000 tonnes, this was 1% less than the year before. About 60% of the volume went to the production of Gouda cheese. The production of consumer milk and products fell by 4% and skimmed milk powder also fell by 2%. The largest decrease can be seen in non-skimmed milk powder production, which fell by 2022% in 24 as a result of the sharply reduced export.
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