Dutch dairy firms produced 153 million kilos of butter last year, a rise of 20% on 2011, according to new figures from the national statistics office CBS. At the same time, margarine production in the Netherlands fell almost 25% to 436 million kilos, the CBS said.

In terms of domestic consumption, Dutch households spent an average of €19 a year on butter and €29 on margarine in 2015, the most recent figures available and corrected for inflation. In 1999, households spent €15 on butter and €43 on margarine.

Exports of butter from the Netherlands reached €713m in value last year,  while that of margarine was stable at €550m. But half the butter exported by the Netherlands was actually produced in a third country, as was 9% of the margarine, the CBS said.

New Zeeland exports more butter than any other country in the world, with the Netherlands in second place.