Global milk deliveries

Updated 2 June 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 867.1 million litres per day in March, an increase of 36.9 million litres per day (+4.4%) across the selected regions, compared to the same period in the previous year
• Milk deliveries in the EU averaged 422.4 million litres per day in March, an increase of 19.6 million litres per day (+4.9%) compared to the same month of the previous year, and the strongest March on record
• Looking at the EU figure in greater detail, we saw the greatest year on year volume increase from Germany, up 192 million litres (+7%) for the month of March, followed by France, up 119 million litres (+6%)
• UK daily deliveries averaged 45.2 million litres per day in March, up 2.2% year-on-year. Milk deliveries in April now show stabilisation at high levels
• US production was up 8.4 million litres per day (+3%) year-on-year in March as the national herd increased. Dairy farm margins have now lowered from strong levels but remain positive, supported by dairy-beef revenue streams
• Australia recorded a year-on-year increase of 0.5 million litres per day (2.8%) compared to last year, to sit at an average of 19.8 million litres per day. Milk volumes have varied between regions, primarily due to the differing weather and pasture available
• New Zealand deliveries were up by 5.4 million litres per day (+9.8%) year-on-year with March average daily deliveries at 60.6 million litres per day. Farmer confidence continues to be supported by firm milk prices and favourable weather conditions which increased milk flows
• Argentina’s deliveries continued to grow, up by 2.1 million litres per day (+7.9%) in March, year-on-year. Favourable weather conditions and good dairy producer economics drove higher productivity. However, falling milk prices have reduced profitability, leading to slower growth forecasted for 2026

Figure 1. Annual change in average daily milk deliveries for the six selected regions

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), 2024–2026

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 line with 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