Europe and Eurasia

At the end of January 2023, Romania’s Institute for Diagnosis and Animal Health (IDAH) confirmed one primary and two secondary outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial turkey operation located in central Romania.

The Bulgarian organic market continued to expand in 2022 with an estimated annual growth of 3.2 percent compared to 2021. The main driver behind the growth was the strong consumer focus on a healthier lifestyle and the perception that organic products are healthy and higher quality compared to conventional products.

The COVID-19 pandemic boosted organic food sales in the EU, enabling it to overtake the U.S. market in 2021. However, spiraling inflation combined with high food and energy prices will likely reduce organic food sales in most EU markets in 2022.

USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service Associate Administrator Clay Hamilton arrived today in Madrid to launch a USDA agribusiness trade mission to Spain.

More than 30 agribusinesses and farm organizations will visit Madrid, Spain, from Nov. 29 through Dec. 2, for a trade mission sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Members of the delegation will engage directly with potential buyers from Spain and Portugal, receive in-depth market briefs from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and industry trade experts, and participate in site visits.