Bucking the wider trade slump, British cheese exports continued their multi-quarter expansion to hit an all-time volume high in Q2 2026. Total cheese export volumes rose 15.3 percent (+8,000 tonnes) year-on-year, supported by strong demand across both mature and emerging export destinations. European Union buyers drove the largest volumetric increases—led by the Netherlands (+1,800 t), France (+1,600 t), and Belgium (+1,000 t)—while non-EU growth was bolstered by shipments to China (+1,000 t), Singapore, Canada, and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) markets including Libya (+1,900 t) and Bahrain (+1,400 t). However, overall cheese export value slipped 4 percent due to softer global commodity pricing.

Milk powders recorded the largest overall volume increase across export categories, jumping 22.2 percent (+9,400 tonnes) year-on-year. Plentiful domestic supplies and competitive pricing following record milk deliveries during the 2025/26 milk year supported heavy shipments into both EU destinations (such as Germany, France, Spain, and Poland) and non-EU buyers (including Egypt, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Mexico). Conversely, exports to China remained subdued due to softer domestic consumer demand and demographic headwinds.

The strong performance in cheese and powders was entirely overshadowed by sharp declines across fluid dairy, fats, and fermented products. Yogurt exports experienced a severe contraction of 49.7 percent (-5,300 tonnes), driven by sharp reductions in shipments to Ireland (-4,900 t) and Southeast Asia. Butter exports fell 4.3 percent (-600 tonnes) in volume and tumbled 37 percent in value as average market realizations weakened, with steep shipment drops to Belgium (-1,800 t), Italy (-1,000 t), and France offsetting isolated export gains to the Netherlands and the Middle East.