Which Member States are the main producers of cereals? Which Member State produces the most drinking milk and the most cheese and where is the most beef, pork and poultry meat produced? Answers to these questions can be found in the 2011 edition of the Pocketbook on Agriculture and fishery statistics issued by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

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% of the EU27 total) was the largest producer of cereals, followed by Germany (16%), Poland (10%), the United Kingdom (8%), Spain (7%) and Italy (6%). 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 collection 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% of the EU27 total) was the largest producer of drinking milk, followed by Germany (5.3 mn tonnes or 17%), France (3.7 mn tonnes or 12%) and Spain (3.5 mn tonnes or 11%).

Germany (2.1 mn tonnes or 23% of the EU27 total), France (1.9 mn tonnes or 21%), Italy (1.2 mn tonnes or 13%), the Netherlands (0.8 mn tonnes or 8%) and Poland (0.7 mn tonnes or 7%) 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% of the EU27 total), Spain (3.4 mn tonnes or 15%), France (2.0 mn tonnes or 9%), Poland and Denmark (both 1.7 mn tonnes or 8%) and Italy (1.6 mn tonnes or 7%) were the largest producers.
France (1.7 mn tonnes or 14% of the EU27 total), the United Kingdom (1.6 mn tonnes or 13%), Germany (1.4 mn tonnes or 11%), Spain and Poland (both 1.3 mn tonnes or 11%) were the largest producers of poultry meat.

For cattle meat, France (1.5 mn tonnes or 19% of the EU27 total), Germany (1.2 mn or 15%), Italy (1.1 mn or 14%) and the United Kingdom (0.9 mn tonnes or 12%) were the largest producers.