Poland pushes Dutch dairy sector off the podium

Last May, Polish milk supply exceeded Dutch production for the first time in recent history. This was also the case in June, but in July the Dutch milk supply was ahead again. In August, however, the roles were reversed. With a production of 1.130.840 per tonne, Poland produced 2,19% more milk that month than was collected in the Netherlands. This also meant that the Polish lead was greater than in May and June. Dutch production has been under considerable pressure in recent months due to the many bluetongue outbreaks on dairy farms.

Shift in European ranking
Over the first eight months of 2024, the Dutch milk supply of 9,29 million tonnes is still just ahead of that of Poland, where 9,22 million tonnes of milk was produced in the same period. However, taking into account the current Polish lead, it is very likely that Poland will overtake the Netherlands this year as the third largest milk producer in the European Union. The Netherlands has held this honourable position for years, behind Germany and France. Moreover, the turnaround has been rapid, because in 2023 the Netherlands still produced 7% more milk than Poland, according to Eurostat figures. 

Structural change
It seems unlikely that the Netherlands will catch up with Poland in the future. In view of various termination schemes (Lbv and Lbv-plus) and a further reduction of the manure derogation, a further decline in milk production in our country is looming. In Poland, supply is growing strongly. In August, Polish production was 3,5% above last year's level. Since 2020, growth of over 7% has been visible.