Skim milk powder prices moved lower on the upper
end of the range. Market activity is described as quiet. A majority of
current production is committed with marginal volumes available for spot
sales. Most buyers are focusing on Q3 needs and negotiating for lower
prices. A major export tender has attracted most of the market's
interest with many in the industry holding off purchases until the
results of the tender are known. The market has a weak undertone. PSA
stock levels through May 3 amounted to 17,447 MT. Germany, Ireland and
The Netherlands were the only contributors to PSA socks in the last
reporting period. January-February 2015 skim milk powder exports for the
EU-28, as reported by GTIS, increased 25.5% compared to the same period
last year. Egypt and Algeria were the top destinations for EU SMP
exports in February. According to Eurostat, EU skim milk powder
production for February 2015 showed the following percentage changes for
selected countries compared to February last year: France, -6.3%;
Germany, -6.6%; Belgium, +16.5%; Denmark, +46.0% and the Netherlands,
+9.1%.