Luxembourg, 29/11/2000 (Agence Europe) - The initial estimates of developments in agricultural prices in the European Union for the year 2000 show general stability, according to the Community's Statistical Office (Eurostat), which notes that the fall in the prices of crop products (-4.1%) was almost entirely compensated by an increase in the price of animal products (+4.3%). The main decreases for crop products concern seeds (-6.6%), wine (-7.1%), root crops (-8.9%) and olive and olive oil (-13.1%). Regarding animal products, the increase is weak for sheep and lambs (+ 1.9%) and cattle (+1.4), but much higher for eggs (+15.4%) and pigs (+19.1%).
Among the Member States, price decreases were observed in Italy (- 4%), the United Kingdom (-3.8%), Sweden (-3.2%), Finland (-2.1%), Spain (-1.5%), Portugal (-1.3%) and Luxembourg (-1.3%). Prices hardly budged in France (-0.1%) and increased in Greece (+1.5%), Ireland (+2%), Austria (+3.3%), the Netherlands (+3.6%), Germany (+5%), Belgium (+6.8%) and Denmark (+7.1%).
The annual price index for the means of production, i.e. input prices, increased in nominal terms (+2.5%), essentially due to the increase in the price of energy and lubricants (+21.8%). The agricultural terms of trade (output prices versus input prices) thus again decreased (-2.6%).