Results of the multi-national farmers' confidence index – 2014

Results from a survey carried out in nine Member States between January and March 2014 revealed that confidence in the agricultural sector (meat, vegetables, potatoes, ...) has been on an upward trend for the past year and a half (chart 1). However, substantial differences persist between countries and sectors
Piggybacking the gradual emergence of the overall economy from the recession and an upswing in internal demand, the agricultural sector also showed some signs of improvement at the beginning of the year.
For instance, in the first quarter of 2014, the gross value added of the primary sector in the EU-28 went up by 1.5% and the trade surplus of agri-food products increased compared to the last quarter of 2013.
The rise in farmers’ optimism however originated from a critical situation, which then saw agricultural prices recover and input costs improve. Fears remain that this recovery may be fragile and temporary. Indeed, preliminary results of more recent surveys show that farmers’ mood is down again.