With the global supply of milk declining since the end of 2025, co-operatives have the opportunity to capitalize on Ireland’s competitive advantage.
Once an overlooked product, whey has grown into a €7 billion global market.
This has been largely driven by demand from health and fitness sports nutrition brands, infant formulas and, in recent years, weight loss medications.
According to the Carbery Group’s 2024 financial report, the global sports nutrition market is worth €30.5 billion, more than 80% of which comes directly from orders for protein products.
In 2025, as Irish dairy exports collapse 7.8 billion eurosIrish whey protein contributed €360 million to the overall figure.
Bord Bia Vi Reveal Export performance and prospects report 2025-2026: “EU commodity whey prices for the first 10 months of 2025 were 19% higher than 2024 EU monthly averages, with higher value whey powders benefiting from increased protein demand across key markets.”
Protein Pioneer
Carbery Group, a West Co. processing company. Cork, which processed 574 million liters of milk in 2024, is one of the first companies of its kind to be involved in whey production in Ireland.
Carbery Group Headquarters, Ballynen, Cork
According to Carberry’s 2024 report, demand for whey protein was driven by several key emerging trends:
- Health and fitness;
- Population aging;
- Weight loss apps (Ozempic and Wegovy);
- Infant feeding.
According to Carberry Horizon 10 The report notes that global demand for weight loss drug GLP-1 is increasing, and the market size is expected to reach $160 billion by 2030.
This “rapid” adoption is driven by their effectiveness as GLP-1 drugs “suppress appetite by slowing digestion” and enhancing “satiety signals.”
“The biggest beneficiary of the GLP-1 boom is whey protein isolate, in particular pure whey,” notes Carbery’s flavor and taste solutions company Synergy.
“Large numbers of GLP-1 users struggle to get enough protein through a low-calorie diet, making supplements an obvious solution,” Synergy suggests.
Casein supplement
As reported by Bord Bia, casein is a protein-dense powder, mainly due to its high protein content and emulsifying properties.
It is used to produce analogue cheese mainly for pizza toppings, yoghurts, alcoholic beverages, bakery/confectionery products, pharmaceutical products and sports nutrition.
According to Bord Bia, Ireland is the second largest exporter of casein in the world.
Source: Ornoa
The main specifications of casein are acidic casein and rennet.
Both are made from pasteurized skim milk and feature either the addition of acid or the rennet enzyme.
As Irish dairy farmers have come to know, casein is vulnerable to price fluctuations and evolving market dynamics.
Bord Bia announced that Irish casein exports will be worth €470 million in 2025.
“Against this backdrop, Ireland’s performance stands out,” according to Rabobank’s Tom Boijink, chief dairy specialist for Europe and Africa.
Boijink commented on Ireland’s casein export data, adding that “its share of global trade has historically remained just under 30%, ranging from 29.5% in 2021 to 26.6% in 2024.”
However, in 2025, Ireland exceeded the 30% threshold for the first time, with export volumes reaching 56.4 thousand metric tons, according to Bujenk.
He added that Irish casein exports grew by “13.5% on a volume basis, driven primarily by shipments to the US”.
Ireland’s share of global caseinate (neutral protein powder) exports doubled from 6% in 2022 to 12% in 2025, to 10.6 thousand tonnes, Rabobank reported.
“At the forefront” of innovation
Tirlán has strengthened its position as a major player in the whey industry as it announced its plan to invest €126 million in a whey processing facility at its plant. Baleragate Location in Kilkenny in November 2025.
Boijink stressed that the project “will strengthen Ireland’s footprint (in the industry) from 2027 onwards”.
Ballyragget site in Tirlán, Co. Kilkenny
John Murphy, chairman of Terlan, said at the time: “This is our largest value-added investment ever – a bold step forward in our journey to move up the value chain.
“Ballyragget is already one of the largest integrated dairy processing sites in Europe, and this development will place Tirlán at the forefront of global food protein innovation,” Murphy added.
Tirlán CEO, Seán Molloy, said the investment will enable Tirlán to “diversify” its product mix, ensuring it remains “relevant in a changing and growing market”.
European Union dominance
Dairy Ireland, a business unit of Dairygold, has identified casein as one of its highest margin products.
The cooperative has exploited this potential with its casein production plant, commissioned in 2025, which is now one of the largest of its kind in Europe.
According to its 2025 annual report, Dairygold is expanding its capabilities in food consumer powders by developing new products to achieve higher margin and meet market demand.
Do this with grass-fed whey
Kinetica, formerly owned by Carbery Group, is a leading sports nutrition company that has benefited from growing demand for protein solutions.
As Kinetica states on its website, “Grass-fed whey protein is typically low in fat and lactose, making it easier to digest for those who are lactose intolerant.”
According to Kinetica, grass-fed whey has a superior nutritional profile compared to grain-fed whey.
“It can be considered superior to traditional whey protein because it contains a higher percentage of important nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which are found in higher quantities in grass-fed milk,” she added.
Global scope
Ireland hosted 11y International Whey Forward Conference, Dublin 2024.
The conference was attended by global engineers, scientists and experts in whey processing to discuss trends, technologies and applications in the industry.
If we look further, New Zealand Fonterra Invested $75 million in producing high-value protein dairy ingredients in 2024.
Fonterra and A-Ware’s production facility in the Netherlands. Source: Colt Group
The cooperative has also invested heavily in its European operations, through a joint venture with Dutch cheese producer A-Ware in 2014.
Fonterra’s “state-of-the-art factory” in Heerenveen outside Amsterdam produces lactose and whey protein powder for sale throughout Europe.
Looking forward
Ironically, the increase in demand for crushed products may mean that the once “waste” ingredient is outpacing the main commodity – cheese.
Rabobank said Agriland: “As is the case with most protein ingredients, casein growth rates continue to exceed those of mainstream dairy products by a significant margin.”
said Laurence van Delft of the European Whey Processors Association (EWPA). Agriland: “Demand for whey proteins is growing strongly and could outpace cheese in certain segments or markets.
“However, since whey is still largely derived from cheese production, supply remains structurally tied to cheese quantities.
“Although this relationship may evolve over time as new treatment strategies and technologies develop,” Van Delft added.
In the wake of the global oversupply of milk last year, some industry analysts would suggest that the Irish dairy sector has scope to change the “whey” on which the industry operates.
