UK dairy trade

Updated 12 March 2021

This page gives quarterly overview of UK dairy trade.

For a detailed look at the latest monthly data please visit our dairy trade dashboard. 

• Q4 dairy exports totalled 317k tonnes, down 1% on Q4 2019. Full year 2020 exports totalled 1.32 million tonnes, down 10% on 2019. (Note: total dairy includes raw milk crossing the Irish border for processing)
• Q4 cheese exports totalled 55.4k tonnes, up 8% on Q4 2019. This was driven by exports to the EU (up 11% on Q4 2019). This lift was likely influenced by exporters trying to avoid trade disruption by shipping before the end of the transition period.
• Full year 2020 cheese exports totalled 193k tonnes, down 7% on 2019. Q1-Q3 were all down on the year, as the pandemic disrupted trade and reduced demand.