Germany: much more milk with only slightly more cows

The November count shows that Germany had 3,6 million dairy cows in November. This represents an increase of 0,2%, or 7.200 animals, compared to the previous year's count. Over the past 10 years, there has been a 16% decline, representing a reduction of 688.000 cows.

The number of farms is declining faster than the number of cows. With 47.200 active farms, this figure was 3,1% lower than in 2024. Over the past 10 years, more than 26.100 German dairy farmers have ceased operations.

Milk supply much higher
Despite the fact that the number of dairy cows has barely increased, milk production is showing a rapid rise. Production in October was 6,8% higher than a year earlier, reaching 1,05 million tons, according to Eurostat figures. This represents the strongest year-on-year increase in a single month this year and confirms the recovery seen since June, when production was 2,1% below last year's level. 

Despite the recovery, weaker production in the first few months of the year still weighs on the annual total. Up to and including October, total milk production reached 27,03 million tons, still 0,37% lower than last year. Weekly production figures from ZMP show that the increase accelerated further after October. By mid-December, there was a 7,4% increase.

The significant increase in milk production this autumn can be partly explained by later production as a result of bluetongue.