The German Association for Animal Nutrition (DVT) has published its 2025/26 annual figures, revealing that German compound feed production increased by nearly 3% in 2025 to reach approximately 22.5 million tonnes. Growth across poultry, swine, and cattle feed sectors occurred alongside structural consolidation among feed mills, rising utilization of circular co-products, and a declining share of traditional grains in formulations.
According to federal data compiled in the DVT annual report, Germany’s compound feed production reached roughly 22.5 million tonnes in 2025, expanding nearly 3% year-over-year following a 1% gain in 2024. Growth was led by Northern Germany, where output rose 2.6% to 16.2 million tonnes across 154 active mills, representing 72% of total national volume. Southern Germany generated 3.03 million tonnes (+0.37%), while Eastern Germany produced 3.2 million tonnes (+0.37%). In the 2024/25 commercial year, 260 feed manufacturers were registered, averaging 85,496 tonnes per site.
By species, poultry feed registered the strongest expansion (+2.6% to 6.6 million tonnes), driven by a 4.0% surge in laying hen feed (2.5 million tonnes) and a 1.8% increase in broiler feed (4.1 million tonnes). Swine feed remained the largest segment at 8.4 million tonnes (+1.6% or 129,169 tonnes) despite German pig stocks falling to approximately 21 million head. Cattle feed output rose 3.9% to 6.7 million tonnes, even as total cattle herds contracted by 0.7% to 10.4 million head.
GRAIN SHARE IN FEED FORMULATIONS DROPS TO 48%
Raw material utilization data indicates shifting formulation strategies across German feed mills. Grain’s share in total compound feed production dropped to roughly 48% in 2025. Total grain input (including corn) reached 10.9 million tonnes, led by wheat (nearly 4 million tonnes), corn (2.8 million tonnes), and barley (2.3 million tonnes). In contrast, oilseed meals and cakes totaled 5.9 million tonnes, comprising 2.7 million tonnes of rapeseed meal and 2.5 million tonnes of soybean meal.
The inclusion of food industry co-products reached 3.15 million tonnes (+3.9%), reflecting increased adoption of circular economy streams in feed rations. Domestic pulses (peas and field beans) rose 12.1% to 177,000 tonnes. Across total feed supply, domestic sources covered 88% of required crude protein in 2023/24, though the self-sufficiency gap in high-value protein meals stands at 12%, keeping the market reliant on imported soybeans (3.3 million tonnes) and soybean meal/oilcake (2.8 million tonnes).