German import and export dairy double

While Germany remains the EU’s greatest exporter of milk and milk products, the country also buys in the most dairy goods, with 10 million tonnes milk equivalent imported during 2007.

Exports, featuring cheese as the main earner, represented 12.6m tonnes milk equivalent or some 44% of milk delivered to dairies by German farmers last year. Just over 40% of deliveries (11.5m tonnes) were processed and retailed within Germany, with the remaining 4.6m tonnes milk equivalent channelled mainly into the catering and nutrition sectors.