The Dutch dairy cooperative is raising its member payout following a year of higher milk prices in 2025. At the same time, the company expects continued pressure on commodity markets in early 2026.
The Dutch dairy cooperative FrieslandCampina has decided to pay a member payout of €1.31 per 100 kilograms of milk to its member farmers for the 2025 financial year.
The total payout amounts to approximately €121 million (around DKK 904 million) and represents an increase from €1.21 the previous year.
Higher milk price in 2025
The average milk price paid to member farmers also rose to €56.93 per 100 kilograms of milk in 2025, compared with €52.95 the year before. Total payments to farmers therefore reached €5.32 billion.
FrieslandCampina’s revenue increased to €13.4 billion in 2025, while operating profit declined slightly to €507 million. According to the company, the year was characterised by a strong first half followed by a weaker second half, as falling commodity prices put pressure on earnings.
– FrieslandCampina demonstrated its resilience in 2025. It was a year with two distinct phases: a strong first half and a more challenging second half. Despite difficult market conditions, we delivered solid overall results for 2025, which translates into a good payout for our member farmers, said CEO Jan Derck van Karnebeek, according to Effektivt Landbrug.
Investments and acquisitions
The year also included several strategic moves for the cooperative. A merger with the Belgian dairy company Milcobel took effect at the start of the year, and FrieslandCampina also acquired the US ingredient company Wisconsin Whey Protein to strengthen its position in the high-value protein market.
The group has furthermore invested in new facilities, including a distribution centre in Malaysia and an innovation centre in Singapore, as well as upgrades to several production sites.
Continued pressure expected in 2026
However, management expects continued headwinds in early 2026.
An increase in global milk supply during the second half of 2025 has put downward pressure on dairy commodity prices. FrieslandCampina therefore expects earnings in the first half of 2026 to decline significantly compared with the same period the previous year, before the market gradually rebalances in the second half of the year.
By Maja Løvstrup
Source: Effektivt Landbrug
Photo: FrieslandCampina
