The pocketbook presents selected tables and graphs providing a statistical overview of the agricultural sector in the European Union. The most recent data are presented for the 27 Member States as well as the EFTA countries when available. This pocketbook, intended for both generalists and specialists, is divided into seven chapters: milk and milk products, agricultural accounts and prices, main agricultural products, agriculture and the environment, land cover and land use, rural regions and fishery statistics.

This News Release presents a small selection of the information found in the pocketbook.

Almost half of total harvested EU cereal production came from France, Germany and Poland

Cereals are the main crops grown on arable land in the EU-27. After a large cereal production in 2008, favoured by good weather conditions during the year and high cereal prices the previous year, production fell in 2009 and 2010, due to a decrease in the total area under cereals and less favourable weather conditions. On average, the EU-27 produced around 300 million tonnes of cereals per year over the period 2008-2010.

Based on the average production for 2008-2010, France (23 per cent of the EU-27 total) was the largest producer of cereals, followed by Germany (16 per cent), Poland (10 per cent), the United Kingdom (eight per cent), Spain (seven per cent) and Italy (six per cent). For all three of the main cereals harvested in the EU (wheat, barley and grain maize), France was the main producer.

Germany, France and Italy the largest cheese producers in the EU-27

Cow's milk collection in the EU-27 reached 136.4 million tonnes in 2010. From this milk, 31.5 million tonnes of drinking milk and 9.0 million tonnes of cheese, among other products, were produced.

The United Kingdom (6.9 million tonnes or 22 per cent of the EU-27 total) was the largest producer of drinking milk, followed by Germany (5.3 million tonnes or 17 per cent), France (3.7 million tonnes or 12 per cent) and Spain (3.5 million tonnes or 11 per cent).

Germany (2.1 million tonnes or 23 per cent of the EU-27 total), France (1.9 million tonnes or 21 per cent), Italy (1.2 million tonnes or 13 per cent), the Netherlands (0.8 million tonnes or 8 per cent) and Poland (0.7 million tonnes or 7 per cent) were the main producers of cheese.

Germany, Spain and France the largest producers of pig meat in the EU-27

In 2010, 22.0 million tonnes of pig meat, 12.2 million tonnes of poultry meat and 7.9 million tonnes of cattle meat were produced in the EU-27.

For pig meat, Germany (5.4 million tonnes or 25 per cent of the EU-27 total), Spain (3.4 million tonnes or 15 per cent), France (2.0 million tonnes or nine per cent), Poland and Denmark (both 1.7 million tonnes or eight per cent) and Italy (1.6 million tonnes or seven per cent) were the largest producer.

France (1.7 million tonnes or 14 per cent of the EU-27 total), the United Kingdom (1.6 million tonnes or 13 per cent), Germany (1.4 million tonnes or 11 per cent), Spain and Poland (both 1.3 million tonnes or 11 per cent) were the largest producers of poultry meat.

For cattle meat, France (1.5 million tonnes or 19 per cent of the EU-27 total), Germany (1.2 million or 15 per cent), Italy (1.1 million or 14 per cent) and the United Kingdom (0.9 million tonnes or 12 per cent) were the largest producers.

Further Reading

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