EU member states that exceeded their annual milk quotas will pay a total of EUR19m (US$26.4m) in fines – down sharply from EUR99m run up a year earlier.

Denmark, the Netherlands and Cyprus produced more milk than they were allowed in the year to the end of March.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

The three countries over-ran the “deliveries quota”, which covers milk delivered to dairies. Netherlands will pay EUR13m, Denmark will cough up EUR5.7m and the Cypriots will hand over EUR125,000.

The Dutch will also pay EUR631,000 for exceeding the “direct sales” quota, which covers products sold direct to consumers.

In 2008/09, the member states that exceeded the quotas paid EUR99m in so-called “superlevy fines” – a year earlier, it was EUR340m.

In 2009/10, total deliveries fell 0.6%, which, the European Commission said, reflected the “difficult market situation”.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

EU commissioner for agriculture and rural development Dacian Ciolos added: “The 2009/2010 quota year will only be remembered for the particularly difficult market situation witnessed in so many member states.”

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact