Fewer dairy cows in Germany again

The number of registered dairy cows amounted to 3.921 million in November. This amounts to a decrease of more than 90.000 animals. The decline is not an isolated phenomenon and has been going on for years. Last year the number of animals recorded the lowest number in 10 years and this year the number of dairy cattle will fall below the 4 million mark for the first time.

8% fewer companies 
The decline is because many dairy farmers in Germany are throwing in the towel, partly due to a lack of follow-up. The number of dairy farms shrank by about 12% to 3 in the past 57.322 months. It is striking that the number of beef farms has increased slightly. It is expected that many German dairy farmers will also stop farming in the coming years.

Milk production slightly increased
The decline in dairy cattle is not immediately reflected in Germany milk production. This increased by 10% to 0,5 million tonnes in the first 27.3 months of this year compared to the same period last year. Higher production per cow can therefore compensate for the decline in animal numbers.