Brussels, 15/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 14 October, Copa-Cogeca published its final estimates for EU cereal production for the marketing year 2014/2015, showing a bumper crop up 6.1% on last year.
The European harvest will be good this year, amounting to 317.7 million tonnes. This can in part be explained as a result of more favourable weather conditions this year. Some members of the association, however, said that the quality is down in their countries. The ban on certain pesticides is hitting the sector hard, Copa-Cogeca argues. With the increased supply, cereal prices are falling.
Copa-Cogeca says that farmers must have robust financial tools at their disposal to help them hedge against price risks. The single payment must also be paid on time in order not weaken producers' cash flow further. (LC)