The market price for butter has reached record highs, which will eventually trickle down to consumers, says DCA Market Intelligence. The cause is an outbreak of bluetongue disease among cattle and sheep in western Europe
The outbreak of bluetongue in cattle and sheep in Belgium and neighbouring countries has caused the cost of butter to skyrocket. A metric ton of butter is now more than €7,900 in Europe, smashing the previous record of €7,400 set in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine.
While the price of butter in the supermarket has remained stable so far, it will not stay that way, according to DCA Market Intelligence, an agency that monitors agricultural supply and pricing in the Netherlands and Flanders. “With the demand for butter in the period leading up to Christmas, we haven’t reached the top price yet,” said the agency.
It’s too early yet to say whether other milk products will see significant price increases, but bluetongue does cause cows and sheep to produce less milk. In Flanders, nearly 550 cattle and sheep farmers have reported at least one infection of the bluetongue virus. Across Belgium the number is 874.
The virus first appeared at the end of July, having originated in the Netherlands. Now Germany, France, the UK, Luxembourg and Denmark have all reported cases of the disease.
No danger to humans
Bluetongue is a viral infection spread by midges. It mostly affects the production of milk but can also be deadly to ruminant species, particularly sheep. The virus does not spread to humans, so there is no danger in consuming dairy products, the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain confirms.
Vaccines are available against bluetongue disease. The Flemish Sheep Farmers group has asked the government to reimburse the costs of vaccination, but the federal minister of agriculture, David Clarinval (MR), says there is no plan to do so.