GDT sees its first downwards slide of 2026

The Global Dairy Trade (GDT) slipped 3.4% on Tuesday to an average price of €3,669/t - in the first fall the auction witnessed since December.

The previous six GDT trading events saw price rises, three of which had been particularly strong jumps of more than 5%, but the latest on St Patrick’s Day inched up just 0.1%.

Butter fared poorly at Tuesday’s auction, suffering an 8.1% price decrease to €5,363/t, as did anhydrous milk fat with a 7.1% price reduction to €6,097.

Whole milk powder traded a more modest 0.7% less than it had at the previous auction, with this week’s prices coming in at €3,199/t.

Skimmed milk powder

Skimmed milk powder came back 0.6% to €2,934/t, the smaller volumes of cheddar purchased fell 3.1% to an average €4,135/t and butter milk powder increased by 0.7% to €2,761.

Tuesday’s price slip took the GDT’s price index to between its levels in February and the beginning of March.

This is the same level the index had been in September 2025.