DairyCo

UK Dairy Imports

Published 28 July 10

UK Dairy Imports

• Cheddar imports in the first five months of 2010 were 4,200 tonnes down on 2009.
• Imports of Speciality Cheese in the first five months of 2010 were 12,500 tonnes higher than in 2009.  Fresh Cheese and Processed cheese categories were both up significantly.
• Imports of butter in the first five months of 2010 were up by nearly 900 tonnes on 2009, but imports in April and May were lower in 2010 than in 2009.

For information on dairy exports click here. 

Note: All data subject to retrospective changes.

Imports of Cheddar cheese in May 2010 performed strongly but they were 3.2% lower than 12 months earlier.  Ireland supplied marginally less this year than last but supplies from New Zealand/Australia and France were ahead of 2009 levels.  For the second consecutive month, supplies from Canada in 2009 were not repeated in 2010.   Cumulatively, Cheddar imports in the first five months of 2010 were 4,200 tonnes down on 2009.  Most of this drop resulted from lower imports from New Zealand and Australia, from Canada and from Germany.  Imports from France were up (by nearly 700 tonnes) and Ireland was also ahead of 2009 levels (by nearly 300 tonnes).

The pattern of strong imports for Speciality Cheese this year continued in May with imports of 26,200 tonnes, some 1,700 tonnes more than in May 2009.  Cumulatively, imports in the first five months of 2010 were 12,500 tonnes up on 2009.  Imports from Denmark were significantly higher accounting for over 5,000 tonnes of this growth.  Imports from Ireland (+3,100 tonnes), from Sweden (+2,600 tonnes), from Germany (+1,800 tonnes) and from France (+1,200 tonnes) accounted for the balance of the growth. The Netherlands seems to be having a disastrous year with a five months fall of 1,800 tonnes (-24%).  There has been a 43% fall in supplies of Gouda to the UK from the Netherlands and a 15% decline in supplies of Edam in the first five months of 2010.

By variety of Speciality Cheese, Fresh Cheese continues to go from strength to strength, up by 6,000 tonnes in the first five months of 2010.  Processed cheese imports continued to grow in May, rising by 3,200 tonnes in the first five months of 2010 compared with 2009. 

After a strong start to the year, imports of butter dropped back for the second successive month and were nearly 800 tonnes down in May 2010 on a year earlier.  Ireland accounted for all of this drop.  But cumulatively for the first five months of 2010, butter imports were nearly 900 tonnes up on 2009.  Most of the growth was from New Zealand/Denmark (up by 1,900 tonnes) although imports from Sweden were nearly 1,300 tonnes down.  There were also increases from the Netherlands (+800 tonnes) and from Germany (+200 tonnes).  Ireland's poor performance in May left it cumulatively down by 700 tonnes in the first five months of 2010 compared with 2009.

It should be noted that all of the import statistics are subject to retrospective changes.

* Please note that the butter imported from Denmark includes Anchor butter from New Zealand which is actually channelled via Denmark.