April 2026 Updates Spot Milk and Bulk Cream Market

 

 

Bit of a mixed bag on cream prices this week, with some reporting to have achieved better prices than the previous week while the low end of our trading range has to drop back a little. Meantime prices on the continent have definitely weakened. The full price range for 25tBSC this week is £1.08kg to £1.25kg ex works. Within this range the majority of reports have come back between £1.17kg and £1.20kg ex works. Prices mostly connected with export to the EU falling in a range of £1.16kg to £1.25kg ex works. Bulk butter prices have softened to where sellers say realistically to trade the price is between £3,250 and £3,400/t while SMP is ranging £2,270 to £2,350/t. Cheese prices are also coming under a little strain, along with Mozzarella. Mild cheddar prices are being put at around £3,000/t to £3,200/t to cement a trade. At the moment market signals are certainly not suggesting a farm gate milk price increase bonanza for June. 

 

 

Spot milk prices appear to have picked up a little, probably due to less breakdowns at the moment, rather than any curbing of milk production as we get closer to seasonal peak production. This week no buyer has reported prices acheived of under 10ppl on deals that were actually struck this week, ongoing short-term deals agreed in the weeks before probably yes. The range this week therefore running from 12ppl to as high as 22ppl delivered however, the latter price being only achieved on a couple loads from what we’ve been made aware. Within the overall range we’d put the bulk around 15ppl to 19ppl delivered. 

 

 

 

 

Coming out the other side of the Easter Bank Holiday prices for 25tBSC especially at the low end of the range of the previous week have perked up while the top end has pulled back thus narrowing the range overall. At the lower end prices have recovered from £1.08kg the previous week to £1.14p kg ex works as the lowest price reported for this week. At the top end no reports have bettered £1.20kg ex works, unless going for export where prices achieved have been as high as £1.25kg ex works. 

 

 

Spot milk prices are deep in a rut for now with the majority of reports quoting prices sub 10ppl delivered. The low end of the range is still stuck on 5ppl delivered with the top end reporting no prices able to beat 14ppl delivered. 

 

 

 

 

Prices for 25tBSC have continued the slide especially prices acheived at the top of the trading range the previous week. Prices of little under £1.40kg ex works were still achievable at the start of the week but again, as the week progressed prices continued to slide. By mid-week the range was reported to be £1.15kg to £1.25kg and further dropping to £1.10kg to £1.15kg ex works by the yesterday (Thursday) although, some loads were reported to be selling for up to £1.26kg ex works. What volume that could be exported, the price is put at circa £1.15kg ex works equivalent with EU domestic prices off their previous week lows trading around £1.45kg to £1.55kg ex works. From the bulk of reports the main trading range for the week is put at £1.10kg to £1.25kg ex works, while some lower priced deals at around the £1kg ex work levels have been confirmed for delivery next week. 

 

 

Spot milk prices are down as the volumes of milk not finding a home other than an AD plant or slurry pits back on farms continues to grow. It’s a buyer’s market where the ‘no need to’ buy side, those with any spare capacity are currently offering a level of generosity that has unlikely to have exceeded 10ppl for those having to offload surplus, with load after load being dealt in the range of 5ppl to 7ppl delivered. 

 

At the other end of the market, those ‘having to buy’ even for the odd load, are reported not to have paid over 16ppl delivered, which in itself tells the story of how weak market prices are at present. A number of factories with breakdowns has only exacerbated the problem going into the Easter weekend, which at the best of times in any year, as with the Christmas holidays, is never a great time to have to deal with selling surplus milk.