Price drop in sheep and goat milk – Stability in cow milk amid declining number of producers
According to recent data released by ELGO-DIMITRA, the Greek agricultural organization, both producer prices and the number of livestock farmers have declined across almost all milk categories in 2024 and the first quarter of 2025. A striking 30% reduction in the number of producers has been recorded over the past five years, from 2020 to 2025.
Sheep Milk
The average producer price for sheep milk in 2024 was €1.4399 per kilo, showing a year-on-year decline of 7.42%. In the first quarter of 2025, prices dropped further to €1.3812 per kilo, marking a 5.27% decrease compared to the same period in 2024.
While the total quantity of delivered sheep milk in 2024 remained nearly unchanged at 729,920 tons, a 3.38% decrease was observed in the first quarter of 2025. The number of sheep milk producers fell from 40,231 in 2023 to 38,668 in 2024.
Goat Milk
Goat milk prices followed a similar downward trend. In 2024, the average price dropped by 4.97% to €0.9247 per kilo. The first quarter of 2025 saw a further decline of 5.9%, with prices averaging €0.8845 per kilo.
Production volume for 2024 reached 155,775 tons, reflecting a 2.74% decrease from 2023. The number of goat milk producers also declined, from 12,954 in 2023 to 12,625 in 2024.
Cow Milk
In contrast, cow milk prices remained relatively stable. The 2024 average producer price slightly increased by 0.23% to €0.5227 per kilo. In the first quarter of 2025, prices rose to €0.5405 per kilo, compared to €0.5207 in Q1 2024.
Total cow milk deliveries in 2024 amounted to 638,865 tons, showing a slight increase over the previous year. Of this amount, 18,293 tons were certified as organic milk.
Key Factors Behind the Decline
The ongoing reduction in the number of producers is attributed to multiple factors, including high production costs, the aging farming population, and a lack of generational succession. These challenges continue to place pressure on Greece’s dairy sector, particularly in the sheep and goat milk industries.
