Milk production in the European Union is estimated at around 155 million tons per year. The main producing countries are Germany, France, Poland, the Netherlands, Italy and Ireland. Together, they account for almost 70% of the EU’s milk production.

In 2020 there were around 20 million cows in the EU, whose average production per animal was 7,300 kilos of milk.

In Italy the tradition is the industry

Italy is one of the main players in the world dairy industry: the national production combines quality, volumes and tradition. The most advanced milk processing technologies have made it a favorite drink (fresh, UHT, LSL) compatible with special diets and accessible to customers suffering from intolerances.

The cheese tradition is witnessed by 37 DOP cheeses and by numerous local cheeses, where the traditional practice has become an industrial process, as well as cheeses made with modern production technologies. A variety of cheeses that satisfy the diverse and demanding needs of national and foreign consumers.

Yogurt and fermented milk are available in a wide range of characteristics, flavor, size and are the ideal products for many consumption occasions. In addition to traditional products, there are probiotic fermented milks that respond to the modern demand for healthy products.

Figures from the Italian dairy sector

The dairy sector is the first Italian food division, with a turnover of 14.2 billion euros. 75% of the milk is produced in the northern Italian districts: Lombardia, Emilia Romagna, Veneto and Piemonte.

In Italy, 11 million tons of milk are produced and 13 million tons of milk are converted into one million tons of cheeses (more than 440,000 tons are DOP cheeses), almost three million tons of pasteurized drinking milk (1,300,000 Tn) and UHT milk (1,600,000 Tn) and 190,000 Tn of yogurts and fermented milk.

Italian cheese: variety, quality and safety

The Italian dairy industry produces a wide variety of traditional cheeses, all of them unique in their organoleptic and nutritional characteristics and processing technique.

Mozzarella ranks first in terms of volume, followed by the two most popular PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) cheeses in the world: Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano.

Gorgonzola, Pecorino, Asiago, Taleggio are also part of the Italian tradition, always evolving and highlighting their quality.

Italy exports almost 250,000 tons of cheese, that worth 1.4 billion euros. The main Italian exported cheeses are Mozzarella and other fresh cheeses (36.4%), Grana Padano PDO and Parmigiano Reggiano PDO (25%), Pecorino Romano DOP, Gorgonzola DOP and Provolone.

Current milk production and future forecasts

Italian milk production in 2021 increased to 13 million tons (+3% compared to 2020). Thanks to the self-sufficiency achieved by the sector, imports from abroad decreased (imports of bulk milk registered a decrease of 30%).

In a report carried out for the Italian association of farmers and breeders Alleanza Cooperative Agroalimentari, cow’s milk production in Italy is expected to increase by +10/+15% in the next five years, with an average annual variation rate of + 2/+3% which is intended to continue until 2030.

The report also includes estimates of the national production of cow’s milk: Italy will reach the theoretical self-sufficiency in the raw material in a few years (today it is 80%). In the last five years, the production of cow’s milk in Italy has increased significantly. Most of the increase in production took place in the northern Italian regions (Lombardy +19%, Emilia Romagna +15%, Veneto +6.0%, Piedmont +15%), but also in some southern regions (Puglia +12%, Sicily and Basilicata) +11%, Calabria +17%).

While milk deliveries increased (+13% in the last five years), the price of milk at the farm increased by an average of 3% between 2015 and 2020.

Italian production of dairy products will reach €21.5 billion in 2026 from €20.39 billion in 2021, with an average year-over-year growth of 0.8%. Since 2013, the Italian offer has increased by 2.6% year-over-year. The country was number 3 in 2021, Germany surpassed it with 20.390 million euros. Germany, Italy and the Netherlands respectively occupied positions 2, 3 and 4 in this ranking.

Dairy product consumption is projected to reach 11,043,000,000 kilograms by 2026 from 11,000,000,000 kilograms in 2020, with an average annual growth of 0.1%.