The Association of Milk Producers of Portugal (Aprolep) warned this Wednesday, 3rd, of the need to increase the value of Portuguese milk in 2026, rejecting possible decreases in the price paid to the producer, which currently barely covers current expenses.
“Throughout the year, both in communiqués and in meetings with industry, distribution and Government officials, Aprolep clearly expressed that this ‘survival’ price allowed, as a general rule, to cover current expenses, but did not generate sufficient margin for essential investments, namely modernization of dairies, automation of milking and feeding and improvements in animal welfare and environmental sustainability”, maintains the association in a statement.
According to Aprolep, throughout 2025, milk production in Portugal remained stable, both in quantity and in prices paid to producers.
“We started the year with an average price of 45.8 cents/kg (kilogram), the lowest among the 27 Member States of the European Union, around nine cents below the community average and with an always significant difference for Spain, our neighboring country and partner in the Iberian market that directly affects us the most”, he explains.
Even so, the association highlights that, in recent weeks, milk producers have been confronted with news of price drops recorded in the international dairy market and in producer prices in northern European countries, which “allegedly justify changes in the price of milk in Portugal”.
However, he warns, “it is necessary to bear in mind that the price in northern Europe, over the last two years, was much higher than that of Portuguese producers”.
Additionally, as the domestic or Iberian market is the destination for the majority of milk and dairy products processed in Portugal – and it was, in fact, “based on this argument that the price in Portugal did not follow the increases at European level” – the association warns that “it now makes no sense for buyers to use this justification to impose a decrease”.
“Aprolep considers that the ‘stability’ adopted by buyers must be valid at all times and not only serve to penalize producers. Only in this way will it be possible to give hope to new generations and those who resist in the activity to maintain national food sovereignty, reduce dependence on imports, protect employment in rural areas and keep the territory cultivated and free from fires”, he emphasizes.
The association also defends the need for “specific support for investments to respond to consumer demands in relation to animal welfare and environmental sustainability, as well as supporting the installation of young people in the sector”.
He says that there are currently around 3,300 producers in Portugal, of which 2,000 are in the Azores and 1,300 on the mainland, an increasingly smaller number and with an increasingly older average age.
“It is essential that industry and distribution make a commitment so that Portuguese milk continues to be competitive and sustainable”, maintains Aprolep, arguing that “ensuring a fair price to the producer is not a cost”, but “an investment in the future of agriculture and food sovereignty in Portugal”.