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Italy: Dairy sector

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Italy has a prominent position in the European dairy industry: it is the largest producer Country of PDO Cheeses.





This Country:
  • accounts for 9,6% of EU milk deliveries (year 2024),
  • exports dairy products, converted into milk equivalent (ME) for the 40,9% of the milk deliveries,
  • accounts for 6,7% of EU dairy exports in ME (year 2024).
The orange links allow a further analysis on TESEO.


Click here to consult the
MILK SELF-SUFFICIENCY map

ITALY: DAIRY SECTOR
(1° January - 31 December)
  x 1.000 ton
RAW MATERIAL AREA 2022 2023 2024 2025 2025 2026 % Period
Cow's Milk
Dairy Farm Structure
Dairy cows ('000 head) (Al 1st December) 1.631 1.574 1.521
Slaughtered cow ('000) 603 512 523 509 91 90 -0,3% Jan-Feb 2026
Export of Breeding Heifers (HS 01022110 - head) 4.869 2.582 4.500 2.857 1.346 361 -73,2% Jan-Feb 2026
Import of Breeding Heifers (HS 01022110 - head) 17.847 12.207 23.431 24.434 3.953 2.676 -32,3% Jan-Feb 2026
Milk production 13.182 13.059 13.185 -
± % Over the same period of the previous year -0,9% +1,0%
Deliveries to dairies 13.022 12.916 13.178 13.458 3.437 3.575 +4,0% Jan-Mar 2026
± % Over the same period of the previous year -0,8% +2,0% +2,1%
% Protein 3,45% 3,43% 3,51% 3,46% 3,48% 3,48%   Jan-Apr 2026
% Fat 3,76% 3,77% 3,96% 4,00% 4,03% 4,04%   Jan-Apr 2026
Farm-gate prices of raw milk Lombardy (€ x 100 lt, + VAT not incl.) 51,17 52,79 53,04 59,08 59,75 49,25 -17,6% Jan-Apr 2026
± % Over the same period of the previous year +3,2% +0,5% +11,4%
Buffalo's - Goat's - Sheep's Milk
Number of Buffaloes ('000) 416 416 437 438
Buffalo's Milk Production (Cod.Eurostat D1140A) 254 254 254
Buffalo's Milk Delivered to dairies (Cod.Eurostat D1140D) 234 232 233
Number of Goats ('000) 1.010 980 911
Goat's Milk Production (Cod.Eurostat D1130A) 60 58 58
Goat's Milk Delivered to dairies (Cod.Eurostat D1130D) 42 41 41
Number of Sheeps ('000)
Sheep's Milk Production (Cod.Eurostat D1120A) 475 471 476
Sheep's Milk Delivered to dairies (Cod.Eurostat D1120D) 449 445 456
Organic milk production (goat, sheep, cow) 500 491 407
DAIRY PRODUCTION ('000 Ton) 2022 2023 2024 2025 2025 2026 % Period
Liquid milk 2.522 2.510 2.467 2.525
Cream 149 151 160 169
Butter 101 99 104 112
a)Cheese from cow milk 1.201 1.205 1.215 1.218
of which:
PDO 485 497 509 531
b)Cheese from other milk 158 139 143
of which:
PDO 94 97 100 101
Total Cheese[a+b] 1.359 1.344 1.359
-Hard cheeses of which: 470 472 491
Grana Padano PDO 202 212 219 236 108 111 (e) +2,6% Jan-May 2026
Parmigiano Reggiano PDO 160 161 163 168 72 76 (e) +5,4% Jan-May 2026
Pecorino Romano PDO (Dairy Season) 31 37 39 39 26 26 -0,7% Oct/25-Apr/26
Other sheep cheeses PDO (Toscano, Siciliano, Filiano, Sardo) 4,7 4,7 4,8 4,2
- Semi-hard cheeses of which: 96 99 97
Provolone Valpadana PDO 14 14 15 14 2,6 2,2 -14,7% Jan-Apr 2026
Fontina PDO 3,4 3,1 3,8 3,4
- Soft cheeses of which: 192 215 199
Taleggio PDO 8,8 8,8 8,7 8,7 2,9 2,9 +2,0% Jan-Apr 2026
Gorgonzola PDO 61 62 63 65 26 26 (e) -0,3% Jan-May 2026
- Fresh cheeses of which: 572 558 572
Mozzarella di Bufala Campana PDO 56 56 56 58 17 17 -1,4% Jan-Apr 2026
I° Classification
- Soft cheese ( Cod. Eurostat D7111) 158 168 159
- Medium soft cheese ( Cod. Eurostat D7112) 34 48 40
- Medium hard cheese ( Cod. Eurostat D7113) 96 99 97
- Hard cheese ( Cod. Eurostat D7114) 470 444 462
- Extra hard cheese ( Cod. Eurostat D7115) 29 28 29
- Fresh cheese ( Cod. Eurostat D7116) 572 558 572
II° Classification
- Cheese from cows'milk (pure) ( Cod. Eurostat D7121) 1.222 1.207 1.222
- Cheese from ewes milk (pure) ( Cod. Eurostat D7122) 74 74 73
- Cheese from goats milk (pure) ( Cod. Eurostat D7123) 7,2 7,4 7,3
- Others (cheese from buffalos'milk (pure) or mixed cheese) ( Cod. Eurostat D7129) 56 56 56
Processed cheese 56 56 57
Whey used for cottage cheese
Whey used for livestock
Concentrated whey
Whey powder and pieces
Milk based beverages 5,7 5,5 5,4
Other fresh products 7,8 7,1
Fermented milk (Yogurt and others) 287 283 265 280
IMPORT 2022 2023 2024 2025 Jan-Mar of which Extra EU
2025
2026
%
2025
2026
%
Bulk milk (NC8 04012099+04012019+04011090) TOP exporters 602 856 889 821
181
135
-25,5%
0,1
1,4
+126,7%
Whole Milk (NC8 04012099) TOP exporters 431 595 599 592
123
97
-21,8%
0,0
1,3
+145,5%
Semi-skimmed milk (NC8 04012019) TOP exporters 4,0 11 12 2,6
1,4
0,1
-93,6%
-
-
-
Skimmed milk (NC8 04011090) TOP exporters 167 250 277 226
56
38
-32,0%
0,1
0,0
-5,8%
Milk packed (NC8 04011010+04012011+04012091) TOP exporters 238 213 203 206
51
49
-3,2%
0,0
0,0
-10,4%
Whole Milk (NC8 04012091) TOP exporters 89 75 71 82
18
21
+14,5%
0,0
0,0
+20,0%
Semi-skimmed milk (NC8 04012011) TOP exporters 121 115 104 101
26
23
-12,5%
0,0
0,0
-30,3%
Skimmed milk (NC8 04011010) TOP exporters 27 23 28 23
6,2
5,2
-16,4%
-
-
-
Condensed milk (NC8 040291+040299) TOP exporters 34 34 39 46
10
12
+14,7%
-
-
-
Bulk Cream 1) TOP exporters 64 70 76 72
14
20
+49,7%
0,2
0,4
+23,5%
Packed Cream 2) TOP exporters 13 14 14 15
3,4
3,3
-3,4%
-
-
-
Yogurt (HS 040310) TOP exporters 167 171 192 214
51
56
+10,0%
0,0
0,0
-2,6%
Fermented milk (HS 040390) TOP exporters 101 108 120 147
34
39
+16,8%
0,0
0,0
-26,4%
Butter (HS 0405) TOP exporters 68 67 67 82
19
19
+0,0%
1,7
1,3
-5,9%
of which:
Butter 82% (NC8 04051019) TOP exporters 18 20 18 22
4,9
5,1
+3,9%
0,0
0,0
-9,7%
Cheese (HS 0406) TOP exporters 535 566 580 635
150
150
-0,3%
5,0
5,6
+3,4%
Edam cheese(NC8 04069023) TOP exporters 26 28 29 27
6,4
6,8
+7,0%
-
-
-
Emmental (NC8 04069013) TOP exporters 23 21 21 23
5,7
5,6
-2,2%
0,5
0,4
-4,4%
Hard cheeses (not PDO) (NC8 04069069) TOP exporters 25 28 28 31
7,6
7,7
+2,2%
-
-
-
Fresh cheeses (NC8 04061020)3 TOP exporters 215 236 247 259
62
60
-2,9%
1,7
1,3
-7,6%
Processed cheeses (NC8 040630) TOP exporters 35 32 30 33
8,3
8,1
-2,9%
0,2
0,1
-5,3%
Full fat cheeses (NC8 04069087)5 TOP exporters 28 30 32 38
9,0
10
+15,6%
0,4
1,4
+44,6%
WMP (whole milk powder - HS 040221+040229) TOP exporters 35 34 29 31
7,7
7,4
-4,2%
0,0
0,4
+23,7%
SMP (skimmed milk powder - HS 040210) TOP exporters 89 87 81 88
21
25
+20,3%
0,0
0,1
+11,5%
Whey powder (HS 0404) TOP exporters 132 146 177 184
59
28
-53,1%
0,2
0,2
+7,0%
of which:
Sweet dairy Whey (12% protein) e WPC (HS 040410) TOP exporters 89 111 137 146
53
22
-58,4%
0,2
0,2
+7,0%
Casein (HS 350110) TOP exporters 7,2 5,6 7,3 6,7
1,5
1,8
+16,3%
-
-
-
Caseinates (HS 350190) TOP exporters 1,9 1,6 1,8 1,7
0,4
0,4
-1,9%
-
-
-
Lactose pharmaceutical (HS 170211) TOP exporters 15 15 17 18
4,2
4,4
+6,9%
0,1
0,1
+2,3%
Lactose edible (HS 170219) TOP exporters 2,7 1,8 1,3 1,2
0,5
0,1
-76,4%
0,0
0,0
+23,2%
Fat-Filled Milk Powder (FFMP) (HS 190190) TOP exporters 89 88 83 82
12
12
-0,6%
12
12
-0,1%
Whey Protein Isolate (WPI) (HS 350220) TOP exporters 4,0 3,1 2,6 4,5
0,5
0,8
+48,0%
0,5
0,8
+5,6%
Jan-Feb of which Extra EU
Soya-based beverages (protein content >=2,8 %) 15 13 16 23
5,1
2,8
-45,8%
Soya-based beverages (protein content of <2.8%)
based on nuts, cereals or seeds 		31 32 22 19
2,3
4,3
+83,2%
0,0
0,0
+inf%
Non-alcoholic beverages containing < 0,2% fats
derived from milk or milk products 		3,9 3,8 4,1 5,1
0,7
1,3
+102,8%
0,0
0,0
-78,7%
EXPORT 2022 2023 2024 2025 Jan-Mar of which Extra EU
2025
2026
%
2025
2026
%
Milk packed (NC8 04011010+04012011+04012091) TOP Importers 30 30 29 26
7,4
9,3
+26,2%
3,4
4,6
+35,7%
Whole Milk (NC8 04012091)
TOP Importers
15 12 9,3 8,9
2,8
3,8
+36,9%
1,9
2,9
+53,1%
Semi-skimmed milk (NC8 04012011)
TOP Importers
8,4 7,7 8,2 9,3
2,2
2,7
+19,7%
1,2
1,2
+0,5%
Skimmed milk (NC8 04011010)
TOP Importers
6,0 9,9 12 8,1
2,4
2,8
+19,7%
0,3
0,5
+73,5%
Bulk milk (NC8 04012099+04012019+04011090) TOP Importers 17 6,8 6,7 8,4
1,6
2,9
+82,5%
0,1
0,0
-52,9%
Condensed milk (NC8 040291+040299) TOP Importers 2,0 2,1 2,1 3,9
1,0
1,9
+86,7%
0,7
1,0
+38,9%
Bulk Cream 1) TOP Importers 17 16 14 11
3,6
4,7
+29,2%
1,7
2,0
+18,9%
Packed Cream 2) TOP Importers 14 8,8 11 14
4,0
4,0
-1,7%
2,7
2,6
-5,8%
Yogurt (HS 040310) TOP Importers 6,1 6,6 7,2 6,9
1,8
2,1
+12,2%
0,4
0,4
+4,3%
Fermented milk (HS 040390) TOP Importers 2,6 2,8 3,2 3,3
0,9
1,3
+50,6%
0,4
0,7
+57,7%
SMP (skimmed milk powder - HS 040210) TOP Importers 8,1 10 5,3 8,4
2,0
2,9
+42,6%
0,7
0,3
-55,1%
Butter (HS 0405) TOP Importers 13 18 14 16
4,2
4,5
+7,4%
0,9
1,8
+99,6%
Cheese (HS 0406) TOP Importers 566 594 649 679
155
161
+3,8%
48
48
-0,9%
Asiago (NC8 04069075)
TOP Importers
1,8 1,7 1,7 1,6
0,4
0,4
-6,7%
0,3
0,2
-18,6%
Fiore sardo, Pecorino (NC8 04069063)
TOP Importers
20 19 20 19
5,8
4,7
-19,8%
4,5
3,2
-28,2%
Fresh cheeses (NC8 04061020)3
TOP Importers
204 216 240 258
54
57
+4,9%
14
13
-4,0%
Grated or powdered cheeses (NC8 04062090)4
TOP Importers
63 68 75 79
19
20
+5,0%
4,2
4,4
+6,3%
Gorgonzola (NC8 04064050)
TOP Importers
25 25 26 25
6,3
6,3
+0,1%
0,9
0,8
-3,2%
G.Padano DOP e P.Reggiano DOP (NC8 04069061)
TOP Importers
107 112 121 123
30
30
+1,4%
13
13
+0,7%
Provolone (NC8 04069073)
TOP Importers
8,8 7,9 9,0 9,1
2,2
2,4
+6,0%
0,6
0,7
+15,5%
Whey powder (HS 0404) TOP Importers 226 201 217 263
67
73
+8,7%
9,2
8,1
-12,0%
of which:
Sweet dairy Whey (12% protein) e WPC (HS 040410) TOP Importers 216 196 206 224
58
65
+11,9%
9,2
8,0
-12,4%
Lactose pharmaceutical (HS 170211) TOP Importers 28 26 26 26
8,7
6,0
-31,2%
5,8
3,4
-41,7%
Fat-Filled Milk Powder (FFMP) (HS 190190) TOP Importers 69 65 69 73
11
11
-3,8%
11
11
-3,8%
Jan-Feb of which Extra EU
Soya-based beverages (protein content >=2,8 %) 24 29 30 32
5,6
6,2
+11,4%
1,2
1,2
+1,6%
Soya-based beverages (protein content of <2.8%)
based on nuts, cereals or seeds 		295 262 227 226
31
37
+17,7%
6,8
8,2
+19,7%
Non-alcoholic beverages containing < 0,2% fats
derived from milk or milk products 		1,3 1,4 1,7 2,6
0,2
1,5
+493,2%
0,2
0,9
+311,0%
APPARENT DOMESTIC CONSUMPTION 2022 2023 2024 2025 2025 2026 % Period
Butter 155 148 157 178
Cheese 1.328 1.316 1.289
of which:
Fresh cheeses 583 579 579
Fermented milk (Yogurt and other) 547 552 567 630
PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION (Kg) 2022 2023 2024 2025 2025 2026 % Period
Butter 2,6 2,5 2,6 3,0
Cheese 22 22 22
of which:
Fresh cheeses 9,8 9,7 9,7
Fermented milk (Yogurt and other) 9,2 9,3 9,6 11
% Self-sufficiency 97,1% 96,4% 99,8% 98,4%
SOCIO-ECONOMIC INDICATORS 2022 2023 2024 2025 2025 2026(f) % Period
GDP (gross domestic product) 4,97% 1,02% 0,59% 0,66% 0,66% 0,44% Jan-Dic 2026
CPI (consumer price index) 8,75% 5,91% 1,08% 1,63% 1,63% 3,10% Jan-Dic 2026
Population ('000) 59.030 58.997 58.971 58.943
GDP per capita (U.S. dollars) 34.113 (e) 36.812 (e)
GDP per capita (€) * 32.395(e) 34.045(e)
(e): estimated
* Per capita GDP in Euro is calculated by using the yearly average exchange rate
Informative Note
(f): forecast
n.a.: not available

1) up to 2011/12/31 NC8 04013019+04013039+04013099; from 2012/01/01 NC8 04014090+04015019+04015039+04015099.
2) up to 2011/12/31 NC8 04013011+04013031+04013091; from 2012/01/01 NC8 04014010+04015011+04015031+04015091.
3) up to 2014/12/31 NC8 04061020; from 2015/01/01 NC8 04061030 + 04061050;
4) up to 2014/12/31 NC8 04062090; from 2015/01/01 NC8 04062000;
5) up to 2014/12/31 NC8 04069087; from 2015/01/01 NC8 04069074 + 04069089;
6) up to 2021/12/31 HS 040310; from 2022/01/01 HS 040320;

NOTE:
     - Apparent domestic consumption are calculated using the following formula: Production + Import - Export
     - Per capita consumption are obtained dividing the apparent consumption by the population (Source Eurostat)
     - The self-sufficiency rate is calculated, up to 2025, on the total deliveries of cow’s milk + production of buffalo, sheep and goat’s milk. For 2026 it is calculated only on deliveries of cow’s milk.

SOURCES
Raw material area: Dairy cows: ISTAT; Deliveries to dairies: AGEA; Milk Production, % Protein and % Fat: Eurostat (dataset: apro_mk_colm); Import/Export di Breeding Heifers: ISTAT; Farm-gate milk price in Lombardy: Processed by CLAL; Number of Goats, Sheeps and Bufaloes: Eurostat (dataset: apro_mt_lsgoat, apro_mt_lssheep, apro_mt_lscatl ); Milk Delivered to dairies: Eurostat (dataset: apro_mk_pobta); Milk Production: Eurostat (dataset: apro_mk_farm); Organic Milk Production: Eurostat (dataset: org_aprod);
Dairy production: Processed by CLAL on ISTAT and Protection Consortium data;
Import: ISTAT
Export: ISTAT
GDP and CPI: Intesa Sanpaolo
GDP per capita: International Monetary Found
Population: Eurostat
Note: Self-sufficiency rate = Milk deliveries/(Domestic use in milk equivalent ME)
Domestic use in milk equivalent (ME) = Milk deliveries + Import in ME - Export in ME
The Self-sufficiency rate does not consider the trade of FFMP (fat-filled milk powder) - HS 190190 and the infant milk formula.

Last update: 13-06-2026
NOTE: Access to World Dairy Trade, which also contains the processing of Import / Export of the Italy with MONTHLY UPDATES, is reserved for Supporters of CLAL.it
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