The price of both milk and butter fell in the second quarter of 2026 (Q2 2026), data from the Center of Estonian Rural Research and Knowledge (METK) shows.
Dairy was also the food sector which saw the largest fall in prices both on the quarter and on the year, at a time of overall food price inflation.
Beef prices meanwhile remained unchanged, while the price of eggs rose during the same quarter.
The purchase price of raw milk fell by 11.4 percent between Q1 and Q2 2026. At the same time, the industry's selling price fell by 6.8 percent, while the retail price of drinking milk fell by 2.9 percent for milk sold in plastic bags and 2.4 percent for milk sold in cartons.
On year, the purchase price of raw milk fell 23.5 percent; the industry's selling price of drinking milk in cartons fell 8.2 percent over the same time frame, and may be set to fall further since, according to METK, the decline in raw material prices has not yet been fully passed on to consumer prices.
Butter prices have also continued to fall. The producer price of butter fell by 11.7 percent and the retail price by 13.3 percent between Q1 and Q2 2026, while on-year the producer price of butter fell by nearly 30 percent.
By contrast, prices remained high in the beef market. The purchase price of beef carcasses rose by 4.2 percent quarter on quarter and stood at 8 percent higher than in Q2 2025. METK says this means that following the rapid price growth of 2025, prices in the beef market have stabilized. The purchase price of pig carcasses rose by 3 percent in Q2 compared with Q1 2026, but remained 15 percent lower than a year ago. The price of barley used for pig feed was unchanged over the quarter and was 1.1 percent lower than a year earlier.
Developments in the chicken egg market were more uneven. Producer prices rose by between 1 percent and 9 percent on the year, depending on the farming method used, but the producer price of free-range eggs fell by 2 percent over the same period. A carton of ten eggs cost consumers an average of €2.91 in Q2 2026, 8 percent more than the same quarter in 2025, when the price was €2.70.
Among vegetables, carrot producer prices rose from 21 to 28 cents per kilogram this spring. Beetroot prices were more stable but remained below last year's level. At the end of the first quarter, the price had fallen from 28 cents a year earlier to 22 cents per kilogram. At the start of the second quarter, the respective prices were 23 and 22 cents.
METK collects market information on agricultural products for market monitoring and analysis and since the start of this year has been publishing retail prices for agricultural raw materials in addition to producer and purchase prices.
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Editor: : Samanta Tsopp, Andrew Whyte
Source: METK
Facts Only
* Milk and butter prices fell in the second quarter of 2026.
* The Center of Estonian Rural Research and Knowledge (METK) provided the data.
* The purchase price of raw milk fell by 11.4 percent between Q1 and Q2 2026.
* The selling price for dairy products fell by 6.8 percent in the quarter.
* Drinking milk sold in plastic bags fell by 2.9 percent, and milk in cartons fell by 2.4 percent during the quarter.
* On an annual basis, the purchase price of raw milk fell by 23.5 percent.
* The industry's selling price for drinking milk in cartons fell by 8.2 percent year-over-year.
* The producer price of butter fell by 11.7 percent and the retail price by 13.3 percent between Q1 and Q2 2026.
* The producer price of butter fell by nearly 30 percent on an on-year basis.
* The purchase price of beef carcasses rose by 4.2 percent quarter-over-quarter.
* The purchase price of pig carcasses rose by 3 percent in Q2 compared with Q1 2026.
* Producer prices for chicken eggs rose between 1 and 9 percent on the year, depending on farming method.
* The producer price of free-range eggs fell by 2 percent on the year.
* A carton of ten eggs cost an average of €2.91 in Q2 2026, compared to €2.70 in Q2 2025.
* Carrot producer prices rose from 21 to 28 cents per kilogram this spring.
Executive Summary
Full Take
The data reveals a complex divergence across the agricultural sector, where dairy products experienced significant price compression and declines year-over-year, contrasting sharply with the beef market where stabilization occurred following prior growth. The persistence of falling raw material prices in Q2 2026, which had not yet fully transmitted to consumer prices, suggests a lag effect that may continue to influence retail costs for milk and butter moving forward. This creates an interesting tension: while input costs decline, the realized effects on final consumer goods are unevenly distributed across different commodities.
The egg market demonstrates volatility; producer pricing is segmented by farming method, indicating structural differences in supply chain response, yet the retail price increase suggests demand or processing cost pressures are independent of the producer's immediate profit margin. Furthermore, the beef sector’s stabilization, despite a higher quarter-over-quarter increase, implies underlying market adjustments that absorb rapid growth momentum. This pattern raises questions about the speed and equity with which supply chain shifts translate into price signals for different stakeholders—producers versus consumers.
What mechanisms are at play when input cost deflation is delayed in consumer pricing? How does the differential response between livestock (beef) and dairy markets reflect underlying supply chain inelasticities or market power imbalances within the Estonian agricultural economy? Does this uneven performance suggest a decoupling where global commodity trends do not linearly map onto localized food prices?
Sentinel — Human
The text reads like standard, detailed statistical reporting derived from a specific research body, showing high coherence but a slightly less polished flow than pure machine output.