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 EU27. 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 EU27 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 EU27 total) was the largest producer of cereals, followed by Germany (16 per cent), Poland (10 per cent), the United Kingdom (8 per cent), Spain (7 per cent) and Italy (6 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 EU27

Cow's milk collection2 in the EU27 reached 136.4 million (mn) tonnes in 2010. From this milk, 31.5 mn tonnes of drinking milk and 9.0 mn tonnes of cheese, among other products, were produced.

The United Kingdom (6.9 mn tonnes or 22 per cent of the EU27 total) was the largest producer of drinking milk, followed by Germany (5.3 mn tonnes or 17 per cent), France (3.7 mn tonnes or 12 per cent) and Spain (3.5 mn tonnes or 11 per cent).

Germany (2.1 mn tonnes or 23 per cent of the EU27 total), France (1.9 mn tonnes or 21 per cent), Italy (1.2 mn tonnes or 13 per cent), the Netherlands (0.8 mn tonnes or 8 per cent) and Poland (0.7 mn tonnes or 7 per cent) were the main producers of cheese.

Germany, Spain and France the largest producers of pig meat in the EU27

In 2010, 22.0 mn tonnes of pig meat, 12.2 mn tonnes of poultry meat and 7.9 mn tonnes of cattle meat were produced in the EU27.

For pig meat, Germany (5.4 mn tonnes or 25 per cent of the EU27 total), Spain (3.4 mn tonnes or 15 per cent), France (2.0 mn tonnes or 9 per cent), Poland and Denmark (both 1.7 mn tonnes or 8 per cent) and Italy (1.6 mn tonnes or 7 per cent) were the largest producer