Milk production in the European Union is expected to decrease by 200 thousand tons to 144.6 million tons next year, due to declining product prices and high production costs. This situation has particularly affected developed countries like Germany, Spain, Poland, and France, and small dairy farms are especially vulnerable due to their inability to compete with larger producers and meet strict environmental standards. As a result, there will be further closures of dairy farms by small producers and a consolidation of the dairy market by larger players, which could potentially slow down the rate of population decline in Europe.