France dairy production: butter
France dairy production: butter stood at 32.28 thousand tonnes in Jul 2026, according to Eurostat – slaughtering in slaughterhouses, monthly (apro_mt_pheadm), Agreste. It is one of the indicators in the Livestock production (monthly) table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Jan 1968 to Jul 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Livestock production (monthly) table
| Indicator | 07-2026 | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | 11-2025 | 10-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milk collection and dairy products | |||||||||||
| Butter | 32.28 | 33.77 | 35.85 | 39.01 | 41.06 | 38.04 | 41.52 | 42.76 | 31.4 | 35.08 | |
| Cheese from cows' milk | 148.84 | 144.91 | 154.56 | 157 | 154.44 | 140.49 | 153.27 | 148.58 | 148.92 | 158.53 |
Understanding france dairy production: butter
Measuring the total weight of solid dairy fat manufactured from milk components, this series tracks commercial butter production across industrial creameries. The metric covers churned butter derived from cows' milk, including salted and unsalted varieties, while omitting vegetable-based spreads and substitute products. It represents a primary outlet for surplus milk fat, serving as a key indicator of industrial balancing between liquid milk supplies and storable dairy commodities.
Production schedules are influenced by seasonal surges in raw milk fat content and the need to store surplus fat during peak lactation months for use during leaner periods. Preliminary output figures often undergo administrative revisions as processing plants submit delayed audit data. Analysts should evaluate the series using annual comparisons to understand structural production trends, avoiding misinterpretations caused by seasonal cold storage operations. Comparing butter production with cheese and cream metrics reveals how industrial processors distribute available milk fat across different product lines.
Frequently asked questions
- Are margarine and plant-based fat spreads included in this butter production total?
- No, the series is restricted strictly to dairy butter derived from animal milk fats.
- Why is butter production heavily linked to milk fat seasonality?
- Dairies often churn excess fat into storable butter when raw milk collections peak above fluid market demand.
- Does this metric measure retail pats or bulk industrial blocks?
- It aggregates all commercial butter production by weight, regardless of final packaging size.