A survey carried out by Copa-Cogeca in ten Member States also reveals that, after recovering for one year and a half, confidence in the agricultural sector plummeted in the third quarter of 2014, as a result of low agricultural prices.
According to Copa-Cogeca barometer, the loss of confidence was widespread across all countries. With higher supplies of agricultural products and the closure of the Russian market as well as bad weather conditions for crops in some parts of Europe, prices of agricultural products in general went down, dragging down the mood of farmers. High input prices were also a factor. Although cheaper oil prices eased energy-linked inputs it was not enough to compensate for the reduction in output prices.
The new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform also generated mixed reactions across the countries, with farmers in Germany and the UK especially worried about the complicated, overly bureaucratic legislation. Whilst those in Hungary, Poland and Romania were more positive about getting more subsidies, the survey shows. In France, 4 in 10 farmers indicated that they have major difficulties mainly as a result of operating costs and difficult climate conditions. In the Netherlands, farmers were particularly concerned about the drop in pigmeat prices as a result of the Russian export ban. Whilst in Sweden, producers were particularly concerned about the very low prices especially in the dairy and beef sectors. Italian farmers were worried about the EU wine and olive oil harvests hit by the poor weather conditions.
The survey was carried out between September and November 2014. It is carried out twice a year in Belgium (Flanders), Germany, France, Italy, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden and United Kingdom (England and Wales) and over 6.600 were interviewed .
