Global milk deliveries

Updated 9 April 2026

Trends in global milk supplies impact on prices. Deliveries in the six key exporting regions are tracked to provide an overview of current production levels and trends in global milk supplies.

The milk production regions included are:

• EU-27
• UK
• Argentina
• Australia
• New Zealand
• USA

Combined, they account for more than 65% of global cow's milk production and around 80% of global exports of dairy products.

• Global milk deliveries averaged 850.5 million litres per day in January, an increase of 40.9 million litres per day (+5.1%) across the selected regions, compared to the same period in the previous year.
• Milk deliveries in the EU averaged 395.6 million litres per day in January, a remarkable increase of 19.5 million litres per day (+5.2%) compared to the same month of the previous year, and the strongest January on record. Increased production was driven by previously high margins, lower feed costs and improved productivity.
• Looking at the EU figure in greater detail, we saw the greatest year on year volume increase from Germany, up 186 million litres (+7%) for the month of January, followed by France, up 118 million litres (+5.8%), and Italy, up 83 million litres (+7.6%).
• UK daily deliveries averaged 42.8 million litres per day in January, up 3.6% year-on-year. Milk flows continued to reach new highs. Increased usage of concentrate feeds supported yield per cow.
• US production was up 9.1 million litres per day (+3.3%) year-on-year, with production averaging 281.5 million litres per day in January. Disease recovery, increasing herd size, yields and improved margins have been drivers of growth.
• Australia recorded a year-on-year increase of 0.3 million litres per day (1.5%) compared to last year, to sit at an average of 23.2 million litres per day. This marked a recovery from the recent months of decline, though dry conditions remain a key risk, with soil moisture deficits and uncertain rainfall constraining recovery.
• New Zealand deliveries were up by 1.5 million litres per day (+2%) year-on-year with January average daily deliveries at 76.2 million litres per day. Farmer confidence was supported by firm milk prices and favourable weather conditions which increased milk flows.
• Argentina’s deliveries continued to grow, up by 2.8 million litres per day (+9.7%) in January, year-on-year. Dairy industry investment, favourable weather conditions and good dairy producer economics drove higher productivity. However, falling milk prices have reduced profitability, leading to slower growth in forecasted for 2026.

Figure 1. Annual change in average daily milk deliveries

Source: AHDB

This bar chart shows the annual change in average milk deliveries in million litres per day by month for the past two years. Blue = Argentina, dark blue = Australia, green = EU, brown = UK, grey = New Zealand, dark green = USA. The blue line shows the total for the selected regions.

Figure 2. Global milk deliveries and tracker (average daily production)

Source: AHDB, Ministerio de Agroindustria, Dairy Australia, DCANZ, Defra, Eurostat, USDA,

*Adjusted for a leap year

This graph show global milk deliveries in million litres per day over a 12-month period. Blue line = 2023, dark green line = 2024, orange line = 2025, light green symbol = 2026, grey dotted line = 2026 tracker.

• The tracker is a baseline for comparing against actual production, not a forecast of milk production
• The baseline is calculated using historical month-on-month movements in milk production, providing information on a typical milk year in each of the key regions