How UK agriculture compares with other EU countries

We know UK farmers are a competitive bunch and like to have a nose over the fence at their neighbour’s farm. But how about looking across the Channel to fellow farmers in mainland Europe?

Recently updated figures from Defra show how UK agricultural production compared last year with other EU countries in terms of volume of products produced.

Across every category – beef, sheepmeat, milk, pigmeat, wheat – the UK performed highly, ranking in the top nine across all products and making it to the top four in five of these categories.

In sheepmeat production, the UK tops the charts, producing more than any other EU 28 country with 290,000t – over twice as much as the second biggest producer, Spain, which produced 128,000t last year.

The UK was the third biggest EU producer of milk at 13.7m tonnes, although this was nearly two-thirds less than dairy powerhouse Germany, which produced 30.3m tonnes.

See also: EU predicts above average harvest for 2014

Final figures for 2013’s wheat harvest are still to be confirmed, but in 2012 the UK also ranked third, producing 13.3m tonnes despite a tough harvest. France fared better, with a wheat production of 37.9m tonnes.

UK beef and veal production was also relatively high, coming in at number four against other EU 28 countries with 848,000t.