The US butter market has become less attractive to traders after the import tariff was raised last week.
The US government increased the import tariff on butter by $510/tonne (to US$2,051/tonne), significantly reducing the current premium available from that market to EU manufacturers.
The EU has increasingly turned to the US to plug the gap from the Russian import ban.
EU exports of butter to the US doubled during the first six months of 2015, with the country becoming the second largest export destination for European butter after Saudi Arabia.
The move by the US government was likely a response to domestic prices rising 20 per cent over the last month.
Despite the tariff hike, butter sales to the US would still currently offer a better return than selling into Europe, although the margin is now significantly reduced.
AHDB Dairy said that for a UK butter/powder producer selling into the US, the tariff increase is equivalent to a 1.6ppl drop in milk price equivalent.
Source – Dairy Site