Powder products dragged down the global dairy index at the latest GDT auction, despite gains in fat-based products such as butter and anhydrous milkfat.

The overall price index at the latest GlobalDairyTrade auction fell 0.6 per cent, with the average price settling at €3,453 per tonne.

The picture was mixed: butter rose 1.2 per cent to €4,924 per tonne, while anhydrous milkfat (AMF) advanced 5.3 per cent to €5,726 per tonne. Buttermilk powder gained 3.0 per cent to €3,072 per tonne, and lactose was traded 4.6 per cent higher at €1,381 per tonne.

On the cheese market, movements were likewise mixed. Cheddar rose 1.8 per cent to €3,968 per tonne, while mozzarella fell 4.6 per cent to €3,385 per tonne.

It was the powder market that weighed on the overall index, with prices across milk powders posting broad declines.

By Maja Løvstrup
Chart: Global Dairy Trade