Last year, the Dutch dairy industry processed 14.1bn kg of milk, over 2 per cent more than in 2024. Of this, approximately 62 per cent was used to make cheese. The increase in the volume of available milk resulted primarily in a 4 per cent rise in cheese production and a 2 per cent rise in liquid milk and dairy products. Cheese production, including quark, exceeded 1bn kg in 2025. Of this, approximately 60% consisted of Gouda cheese. This is reported by the sector organisation ZuivelNL in its publication ‘Dairy in Figures 2025’.

The value of Dutch exports in 2025 stood at €11.87bn, more than 4 per cent higher than the previous year. The European Union is by far the most important export market for Dutch dairy products. In 2025, exports to the Member States of the European Union were worth more than €9.2bn, accounting for almost 78 per cent of the total export value.

If other European countries are also taken into account, the European share of total exports stands at 81 per cent. Exports to Belgium, Germany and France alone accounted for a value of nearly €6.5bn. This represents almost 55 per cent of the total value of Dutch dairy exports.