According to the 2012th year the most «dairy country» in Europe is Germany. Syne here is produced more than 30.5 million tons of milk. This is the seventh result in the world after India, USA, China, Pakistan, Brazil and Russia.
From 1961 to 2012 the volume of milk production increased from 24.8 million tons to 30.5 million tons (23.0% increase in 51 years). The capacity maximum was achieved in 1985, when production reached 33.6 million tons of milk.

Figure 1 – Cow’s milk production, mln t

Milk production in Germany (according to Fig. 2), as in the EU as a whole, tended to grow up to 90-ies of XX century, with up to 80-ies the growth rate increased more and more, and then was reduction to the 2000s and another dynamic growth continued until 2012. According to the EU as a whole, a similar situation, however, it should be noted that the indicators of a group of countries which are less susceptible to external factors and less subject to rapid changes in both the upward and downward output.

Figure 2 – Dynamics of milk production, in % to previous year

Trend lines, both in Germany and the EU, indicate an optimistic forecast of milk production grows (Fig. 2), thus is expected to increase production volumes. It is also necessary to note that during half a century Germany maintains its high position in the total EU market of raw milk production, the share of Germans accounting for 20% of all milk produced in the EU (Figure 3).

Figure 3 — Milk production structure in the EU, 1961, 2012

According to Fig. 4 it can be noted and establish that the decline in milk production in the 1990s was due to the reduction in the number of cows, at the same time the milk yield from 1 cow continued to grow until 2012.

Figure 4 — The number of dairy cows, mln goal and their productivity, c/goal

Productivity of cows in Germany is more than 72 kg per goal (2012), that above the average data in the EU. At the same time, if we analyze the milk yield per 1 cow in the EU, the figures including Germany indicators is much higher than in those without it: 64.66 kg / goal against 62.88 kg / goal.

Thus, dairy cattle in Germany is developing steadily, and gross production is growing, although the number of cows is reducing. This is a state of modern dairy cattle the whole of Europe. However, productivity growth in more than 2.3 times for half a century is a striking proof of the intensification of production.