The Czech Republic’s accession to the EU has brought a number of changes to Czech agriculture. The dairy cattle sector and milk production at the time of our membership can be characterised by a decline in the number of dairy cows (by 18 %), but this was offset by a significant increase in milk yield (by 56 %), which was greater than in most other countries. The Czech Republic is self-sufficient in milk production, as is the EU as a whole. The self-sufficiency rate in the Czech Republic is on an upward trend, due to a faster annual growth rate in production than in consumption. In most of the years of our EU membership, the costs associated with milk production have exceeded the farm gate milk price, making subsidies necessary to ensure an adequate level of profitability for milk producers. Future developments in dairy farming in the EU are likely to be influenced by climate change, pressures to further improve the health and welfare of farmed animals, but also by the increasing use of modern precision farming methods.