On Thursday 5 April, the European Commission published a report setting out short-term agricultural forecasts (2018 and 2019), in which it states its confidence in increased cereal and milk production.
The Commission expects an increase of 10 million tonnes (3.3%) for cereal production in 2017/2018 (compared to 2016/2017) to 307 million tonnes in total. Nonetheless, the Commission states: “Despite good cereal harvests, exports are down and imports are steady”. It also predicts a rise in the production of oilseed crops: 9% compared to 2016/2017.
In the milk and dairy product sector, sustained demand will be accompanied by a rise in milk production, with the latter rising from 165.1 million tonnes in 2017 to 167.1 million tonnes in 2018.
As far as the meat sector is concerned, after a rise in recent years, exports of beef and veal from the EU will stabilise at a record level: 0.24 million tonnes of live animals and 0.28 million tonnes of meat exported in 2018. Beef and veal production is expected to decline slightly. The production of sheep meat should become stable in 2018. Poultry production is due to stabilise in 2018 after the adverse impact of avian flu in 2017.
EU sugar production will increase again. The 2017/2018 levels are estimated to be 20% higher than the average of previous years. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)