Germany: Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing

In 2003 agriculture, forestry, and fishing accounted for only 1.1 percent of Germany's gross domestic product (GDP) and employed only 2.2 percent of the population, down from 4 percent in 1991. Much of the reduction in employment occurred in the eastern states, where the number of agricultural workers declined by as much as 75 percent following reunification.
However, agriculture is extremely productive, and Germany is able to cover 90 percent of its nutritional needs with domestic production. In fact, Germany is the third largest agricultural producer in the European Union (EU) after France and Italy. Germany's principal agricultural products are potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, and cabbages. From 1999 to 2003, the number of agricultural holdings declined by 11 percent to 421,400, reflecting a general trend toward consolidation. As of May 2004, Germany had a total of 448,000 cattle and 726,000 pigs, both figures down about 3 percent from the previous year.


Despite Germany's high level of industrialization, roughly one-third of its territory is covered by forest. The forestry industry provides for about two-thirds of domestic consumption of wood and wood products, so Germany is a net importer of these items. In 2003 the forestry industry's production equaled 51.2 million cubic meters of roundwood and 17.6 million cubic meters of sawnwood. As of 2004, an estimated 31 percent of trees in Germany showed signs of environmental damage, according to an annual report by the federal government.

Germany's ocean fishing fleet is active in the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean between Britain and Greenland. The fleet, which has diminished in size in recent decades, contends with overfishing, extended exclusive fishing zones claimed by neighboring countries, and quotas imposed by the European Community Common Fisheries Policy. In 2003 the fishing industry's total catch was 335.1 million tons.