From grass to glass: A look at the dairy chain

This publication aims to give an overview of selected statistics and indicators linked to the dairy chain in the EU. There are considerable differences in the amount of dairy products available for human consumption in the Member States. Milk is produced in every single Member State. Under the quota system, the volume of milk produced among Member States has remained stable over a number of years, although the amount of milk used on farms declined by a quarter between 1996 and 2006. Import volumes of dairy products from non-Community countries are relatively limited, largely reflecting the perishable nature of these products, and were principally imported (70.7%) from Switzerland and New Zealand. The aggregated price level of milk, cheese and eggs was considerably different among Member States; in Poland average prices were about a third lower than the average across the EU-27 in 2007, while prices were about 40% higher in Cyprus and Greece. Between 1997 and 2007, consumer prices of milk, cheese and eggs declined in the vast majority of Member States (when compared with the change for all goods and services). Figures for the first five months of 2008, however, point to a sharp turnaround due to steep price increases for milk, cheese and eggs.