Browse Data and Analysis

This guide provides an overview of health certificates needed for exporting plants, animals, foods, and other animal origin products to the European Union.

This report provides an overview of EU food and feed legislation currently in force for the EU. USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) staff reviewed and updated all sections of this annual report.

World peach and nectarine1 production has seen significant growth in the past decade, rising more than 20 percent from 19.6 million tons to 24.2 million in 2022/23.

On October 13, 2023, the European Commission authorized four genetically engineered maize crops for import as food and animal feed, including three full approvals and one renewal.

EU commercial apple production in Marketing Year (MY) 2023/24 is forecast at 11.5 MMT, a decrease of 2.45% compared to the previous year.

Dry and warm conditions across the EU, combined with a decline in corn plantings, are anticipated to reduce the bloc’s total grain production in MY 2022/23. Nevertheless, EU exports of grains are expected to remain stable and partially replace Black Sea Region origins in international grain markets. EU grain importing Member States will expand their purchases in alternative grain suppliers to make up for the limited access to Ukrainian grain and the shorter domestic availability.

U.S. beef exports into the EU’s High Quality Beef (HQB) quota seem to finally have emerged from the impact of COVID-19 restrictions in the last quarter of the 2021/2022 quota year. In the quota year 2022-2023, U.S. beef exporters can at last start benefitting from the 2019 agreement with the EU about reserving a U.S. specific part of the HQB quota, which was negotiated between the United States and the European Union in 2009.

MY 2021/22 citrus production in the EU is projected to drop by five percent as unfavorable weather conditions pushed yield down in the main EU citrus-producing Member States. The lower domestic supply is expected to reduce exported amounts of citrus. Imports are projected to expand, in response to the lower EU production available and the return to close to pre-pandemic tourism activity.

On June 29, 2022, the European Commission (EC) approved one genetically engineered (GE) crop (maize) for food and animal feed. The authorization was published in the European Union’s Official Journal on July 1, 2022 and remains valid for 10 years.

Interactive Tableau visualization showing what percentage of U.S. agricultural exports go to each of the top markets.

With the lifting of the pandemic lockdowns during 2021 and 2022, EU consumption of both bioethanol and biodiesel is picking up. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to surges in prices of the transport fuel blends.

In 2021, EU wood pellet consumption hit a new record of 23.1 million metric tons (MMT) mainly due to increased residential use in Germany and co-firing of wood pellets with coal in the Netherlands. In 2022, EU demand is expected to further grow to 24.3 MMT, based on expansion of the residential markets, mainly in Germany and France, boosted by support programs for the installation of biomass boilers and the high price of fossil fuels.