Bavaria is the most southeastern state in the German federal republic, placing it at the centre of the expanded EU.

It is one of the most economically affluent areas in Europe along with being home to one-third of all German farms.

It is probably best known for its capital, Munich and for being the birthplace of the celebration of beer, Oktoberfest.

In 2016, beer sales were worth €2.1bn to the brewery industry.

Milk

Bavaria is also one of the most important dairy regions in the EU.

Almost half of all German dairy farmers are located there and their 1.2m cows produce over 8m tonnes of milk every year.

Ireland produces approximately 7m tonnes every year.

Milk is a quarter of the state’s €10bn agricultural output with cheese its biggest export. The main markets include Italy, Austria and the Netherlands. The income of a full-time dairy operation is expected to be €50,431.

Flecvieh, Brown Swiss and Holstein Friesan are all popular breeds. The average cow has a milk yield of 6,890kg and the average herd size is 40 cows. Around 40% of cows are still milked in a tiestall system as high investment costs have proved a barrier to moving away from the system.

Land

Similar to Ireland, one of the biggest problems for Bavarian farmers is rising land prices and increasing rents. The average purchase price of agricultural land in Bavaria is €21,030/ac. This has more than doubled since 2010 when the average price was €10,480/ac.

Rents are rising and can cost anywhere between €250/ac and €1,100/ac. The importance of rented land continues to grow with the cost. Half of all utilised agricultural land is farmed under a lease and the average farm has 24/ha of rented ground. This is up from 15% and 6ha respectively in 1981.

Structure

Bavarian farmers also share similar challenges to Irish farmers when it comes to farm structure. Only 60% of farmers are part-time and the number of farms is on a continual decline, down to 107,000 from 150,000 at the turn of the century. Generational renewal is also a major concern.

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