Luciano Nucci, President of Confcooperative Agroalimentare e Pesca Toscana and head of the Sorano cheese dairy in the province of Grosseto, comments on the current situation in the Italian dairy industry: “This year, the cow’s milk sector has been through a severe crisis. Prices have plummeted, and now the record-breaking heat is leading to a fall in production. It is a truly very difficult situation.” The summer heat has always led to a natural decline in milk production, but this year’s heatwaves are exacerbating the phenomenon. This is a problem affecting the whole of Italy, as national production is already insufficient to meet domestic demand. “If we in Italy were to consume only the milk produced within our own country,” notes Nucci, “we would not be able to meet demand. This means that the system is already vulnerable, and any further difficulty places an even greater strain on the supply chain.”
Added to this are structural problems such as generational change, ever-rising production costs and a continuing decline in the profitability of milk production. In the Maremma region (Tuscany), raw milk deliveries are now 15 per cent below normal levels. The price of milk has fallen from around 60c per litre to between 47c and 49c at present, whilst the costs of energy, feed and farm management remain high and are trending upwards.
Spot market prices crashing
Following a long series of price rises interspersed with weeks of stability, spot milk prices for the week from 25 to 31 July 2026 have fallen again, according to data compiled by the Italian Electronic Commodities Exchange (BMTI) on livestock product prices recorded by the Chambers of Commerce and Commodities Exchanges.
On the Milan market, prices fell by €22.5/t week-on-week, reaching €462.5/t. The downward trend widened slightly, standing at -27.5 per cent. The trend was similar on the Verona market, where spot milk prices fell to €485/t.
Prices for imported milk quoted on the Milan market also fell. German milk stood at €430/t, with the price differential compared to domestic milk narrowing to €32.5/t, whilst French milk fell to €405/t, with a price difference of €57.5/t.
Organic milk prices have also fallen slightly on the Milan market, where prices stand at €575/t. On the Verona market, however, prices remain unchanged at €680/t. Finally, whey prices on the Verona market remain stable, with the price of chilled whey for industrial use confirmed at €28.5/t and that for animal feed use unchanged at €8/t.
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