Consumer trends in the dairy sector are shifting in Germany: demand for cheese and butter is rising, whilst consumption of drinking milk continues to fall. According to Milchbauern Service Bayern, milk production is expected to remain relatively stable in 2025.

Milk and dairy production

In 2025, approximately 31.6 million tonnes of milk were delivered for processing, which is more than 1% higher than the previous year’s figure.

The most significant growth was recorded in the processed products segment. Production of butter, milk fat and spreadable products increased by 9.4% to reach 518,100 tonnes. It takes around 5 kg of milk to produce a standard 250 g pack of butter.

Cheese production also rose, reaching 2.76 million tonnes. Meanwhile, production of drinking milk fell by 2.6% and has remained at around 4 million tonnes for the fifth consecutive year.

Consumption: changes in the structure of demand

Per capita milk consumption in 2025 fell by approximately 1 kg to 45.1 kg.

In contrast, demand for other dairy products has risen. Cheese consumption rose to 26.4 kg per person, which is also almost 1 kg more than the previous year. The greatest growth was seen in the categories of hard, semi-hard, soft and fresh cheeses, whilst filata and processed cheeses saw a decline.

Consumption of butter also rose—by 250 g, to 5.6 kg per person.

Foreign trade and self-sufficiency

The increase in butter production was accompanied by changes in foreign trade. Imports fell by 7.9%, whilst exports rose by 5.2%. As a result, the self-sufficiency rate in the butter sector reached 111.5%.

The overall level of self-sufficiency in milk remained stable at 106.3%.

In the cheese segment, the figure fell slightly—from 129% to 125%—despite an increase in production.

Structural changes in the industry

The number of dairy farms continues to fall — by 3.1% to 47,157, a new low.

At the same time, the average herd size has risen to 76 cows per farm.

A shift in the long-term trend has also been observed: for the first time since 2015, the dairy herd has not declined but has increased by more than 7,000 head, reaching almost 3.6 million.

Source: Milchbauern Service Bayern