The Lawn Statistics: Temporary Grass by the Tonne
Temporary grass — the leys that farmers sow for a few years and mow for silage, hay or grazing — is the crop that covers the most hectares in several member states, and it rarely makes a headline. In 2024 the reporting countries harvested 134 302.3 thousand tonnes, or 134.3 million tonnes, up from 119 881.5 thousand tonnes in 2015: a net change of +12.0% over the decade, on a ten-year mean of 123.6 million tonnes.
The chart at the top of this section follows that line year by year. Read it with one caveat first: the total is a sum of reporting member states, because there is no official EU-27 aggregate for this crop code. Eighteen of the twenty-seven member states reported grass in 2015 and nineteen in every year from 2016 to 2024; the others leave the cell empty. The line therefore measures what reporting farms grow, not what the whole Union grows.
The path is not a straight rise. Reported tonnage peaked at 135 216.5 thousand tonnes in 2017, slipped to 118 887.9 in 2018, recovered to 129 911.0 in 2019, fell to 113 922.0 in 2020 and to a decade low of 113 620.8 in 2022, then climbed back through 116 071.7 in 2023 to 134 302.3 in 2024 — the highest reading since 2017. Grass is weather-sensitive and stored as silage, so a wet or a dry summer shows up immediately in the tonne column.
Member-summed temporary grass harvest, Eurostat dataset apro_cpsh1. There is no official EU-27 aggregate for this crop; the total covers the 18 to 19 member states that report in a given year.
| Year | Reported total (1 000 t) | Reporting countries |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 119 881.5 | 18 |
| 2017 | 135 216.5 | 19 |
| 2019 | 129 911.0 | 19 |
| 2020 | 113 922.0 | 19 |
| 2022 | 113 620.8 | 19 |
| 2024 | 134 302.3 | 19 |
France's Third: The Atlantic Dairy Belt
France harvested 47 981.4 thousand tonnes of temporary grass in 2024 — 35.7% of the reported total, with Italy second on 15.4%. The chart in this section ranks the eight largest producers of the year, and the first bar stands a long way clear of the rest.
Behind France the order runs: Italy 20 647.0 thousand tonnes (15.4%), Denmark 17 239.4 (12.8%), Sweden 13 304.6 (9.9%), Poland 9 957.3 (7.4%), Finland 8 988.2 (6.7%), Germany 6 763.1 (5.0%) and Lithuania 3 328.0 (2.5%). The map behind those numbers is a rainfall map: the Atlantic and Nordic members with dependable summer rain, and farmland geared to dairy and beef, fill the top of the table, while the southern and eastern members report far less grass per farm.
One data quirk belongs here. Italy's series starts in 2016 at 12 329.6 thousand tonnes — there is no 2015 observation — so the Italian line covers nine years and ends at 20 647.0 thousand tonnes in 2024. Denmark, third in the ranking, swung between 20 417.9 thousand tonnes in 2017 and 12 743.7 in 2023; even the biggest producers are not steady.
The eight largest 2024 harvesters of temporary grass and their share of the member-summed total, Eurostat dataset apro_cpsh1.
| Country | 2024 harvest (1 000 t) | Share of reported total | Reading note |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 47 981.4 | 35.7% | Largest producer in every year of the decade |
| Italy | 20 647.0 | 15.4% | Series begins in 2016 |
| Denmark | 17 239.4 | 12.8% | Strong year-to-year swings |
| Sweden | 13 304.6 | 9.9% | Steady Nordic producer |
| Poland | 9 957.3 | 7.4% | Fast expansion after 2020 |
| Finland | 8 988.2 | 6.7% | Stable northern supplier |
| Germany | 6 763.1 | 5.0% | Rising since 2020 |
| Lithuania | 3 328.0 | 2.5% | Smallest of the top eight |
The French Paradox: Mown Grass Down a Fifth in a Decade
France is the largest grass producer in the report, and its own series has fallen further than any other: 60 130.4 thousand tonnes in 2015 against 47 981.4 in 2024, a net change of -20.2%. The chart in this section plots the French series on its own so that the shape stays visible.
The shape is not a slow slide but a run of swings: 53 789.7 in 2016, 59 193.0 in 2017, 48 779.0 in 2018, 46 822.7 in 2019, then 32 334.7 in 2020, 44 049.7 in 2021 and a decade low of 29 344.1 in 2022, before 37 271.4 in 2023 and a recovery to 47 981.4 in 2024. The coefficient of variation of the French series is 21.7% — high enough that any single year should be read against the whole decade rather than on its own.
That is the French paradox: the biggest producer is also the shrinking one, while several smaller producers grew. Keep the units in mind. These values are tonnes of mown or grazed grass, not hectares; how much of a ley is cut in a given summer, and how it yields, moves the tonne figure. The area line in the last section tells the land-use half of the story.
France, temporary grass harvest, Eurostat dataset apro_cpsh1: net change of -20.2% from 2015 to 2024, coefficient of variation 21.7%.
| Year | France (1 000 t) |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 60 130.4 |
| 2016 | 53 789.7 |
| 2017 | 59 193.0 |
| 2018 | 48 779.0 |
| 2019 | 46 822.7 |
| 2020 | 32 334.7 |
| 2021 | 44 049.7 |
| 2022 | 29 344.1 |
| 2023 | 37 271.4 |
| 2024 | 47 981.4 |
Germany, Poland and the Alpine Hay Countries
Germany's reported harvest moved from 5 698.0 thousand tonnes in 2015 to 6 763.1 in 2024, a net change of +18.7%. That line in the chart is not straight either: it dipped to 4 209.4 in 2018 and peaked at 7 348.0 in 2021, before ending at 6 040.6 in 2023 and 6 763.1 in 2024.
Poland is the outlier of the whole decade. Reported production rose from 2 239.7 thousand tonnes in 2015 to 9 957.3 in 2024 — a net change of +344.6% — and almost all of the climb came after 2020: 3 539.1 in 2020, 6 557.2 in 2021, 10 924.8 in 2022 and a peak of 11 045.8 in 2023, before the small step back in 2024. Poland moved from a minor grass reporter to the fifth-largest producer in the table.
Austria, the alpine hay country in the comparison, went the other way: 939.9 thousand tonnes in 2015 to 832.3 in 2024, a net change of -11.4%, inside a narrow band between 798.2 (2022) and 1 020.5 (2016). Small growers can move fast in the other direction too: Hungary rose from 93.7 thousand tonnes in 2015 to 387.9 in 2024.
Three contrasting series in Eurostat dataset apro_cpsh1. Net change is measured from 2015 to 2024; peaks are the highest single-year values of each series.
| Country | 2015 (1 000 t) | 2024 (1 000 t) | Net change 2015-2024 | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 5 698.0 | 6 763.1 | +18.7% | 7 348.0 in 2021 |
| Poland | 2 239.7 | 9 957.3 | +344.6% | 11 045.8 in 2023 |
| Austria | 939.9 | 832.3 | -11.4% | 1 020.5 in 2016 |
Why Grass Data Matters for Climate and Landscape Debates
Temporary grass is not only a volume story; in several member states it is the crop with the most hectares. The chart in this section plots the reported area: 7 786.4 thousand hectares in 2015, 7 928.4 in 2017, 7 728.9 in 2018, then a step down to 6 995.9 in 2020 and a decade low of 6 972.8 in 2021, before recovering to 7 360.9 thousand hectares in 2024.
France alone reported 1 902.3 thousand hectares of temporary grass in 2024 — the largest single national block in the series. Because the area total, like the tonnage total, is a sum of reporting countries, a move in the line can mean either that farmers changed what they sow or that the set of reporting countries changed. Nineteen of the twenty-seven member states reported in 2024.
That is why this quiet table matters. Grass leys sit at the centre of the dairy and livestock economy, of soil-carbon and nitrate debates, of biodiversity and landscape policy, and of the organic rules that require leys in a rotation. Yet they are the acreage-majority crop that most statistics articles skip. When a landscape or climate argument turns to numbers, the temporary-grass rows are the ones to open first — read with the member-sum caveat attached.
Member-summed harvested area of temporary grass, Eurostat dataset apro_cpsh1. France alone reported 1 902.3 thousand hectares in 2024; 19 of 27 member states reported that year.
| Year | Reported area (1 000 ha) |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 7 786.4 |
| 2017 | 7 928.4 |
| 2019 | 7 844.1 |
| 2020 | 6 995.9 |
| 2021 | 6 972.8 |
| 2024 | 7 360.9 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is temporary grassland?
Temporary grass (crop code G1000, temporary grasses and grazings) is land sown to grass for a limited number of years — typically one to five — and mown for silage or hay, or grazed, before the field returns to another crop. It differs from permanent pasture, which stays under grass for years.
Which country harvests the most grass in the EU?
France, with 47 981.4 thousand tonnes in 2024, or 35.7% of the reported total. Italy is second (20 647.0 thousand tonnes, 15.4%) and Denmark third (17 239.4, 12.8%).
Why is grass important for dairy farming?
Grass leys are the base feed for dairy and beef herds; much of the milk in the Atlantic and Nordic belt comes from cows that eat mown or grazed grass. A fall in mown tonnage changes feed costs and the need to buy in fodder.
Is there an official EU-27 total for temporary grass?
No. There is no official EU-27 aggregate for this crop code in dataset apro_cpsh1, so the totals in this article are sums of reporting member states: 18 of 27 reported in 2015 and 19 in each year from 2016 to 2024. Read the line as a picture of what reporting farms grow, not as a complete EU figure.
Source data extracted from Eurostat dataset apro_cpsh1.
This article was generated using AI. The content is based on Eurostat data and is provided as a starting point — please verify all data with the original source.
