Big drop in EU cereals production this year and major concerns over lack of products to protect crop

The move came at Copa-Cogecas’ Cereal Working Party. Chairman of the Working Party Max Schulman said “Latest figures show that the EU-28 cereals production will be down 7.5% this year to reach 296 million tonnes, compared to 320.5 mt last year. But we are not yet at the point of harvest. It could fall further due to the poor weather conditions like the recent drought and heatwaves across Europe which caused  crops to suffer a lot. The winter crops nevertheless look in good shape at the moment with good expectations on quality”.

“This year there is in particular huge uncertainty surrounding this years’ maize crop due to the high temperatures and also lack of effective insecticides to protect the crop against worms and other pests. Plants need to be robust in order to resist drought or wet periods, pests and disease and ensure we have enough feed supplies for our livestock. That is why farmers need a good tool box at their disposal to protect the health of their crops and inputs such as fertilizer. Current European policy in relation to Plant Protection Products (PPPs) must be improved to ensure this. There is a serious lack of PPPs available and also too much red tape and a lengthy approval system. In the longer term, we call on the EU for support and increased research to improve plant breeding and develop new varieties”, he concluded.