Browse Data and Analysis

The drought in Andalucía is anticipated to prevent further expansion of Spain’s cotton area in MY 2023/24. Irrigation water allocation will be critical for farmer’s planting decisions, and temperatures and pest incidence during the summer months will also determine final yields.

On February 15, 2023, Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/334 amending Annexes II and V to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 lowering the maximum residue levels (MRLs) for clothianidin and thiamethoxam in or on certain products was published in the Official Journal (OJ).

In 2022, Spain imported $2.1 billion worth of agricultural, seafood and forest products from the United States, up 27 percent compared to the previous year. After high rates of consumer price inflation in 2022, the latest European Union economic forecast shows Spain’s economic growth forecast at 1.4 percent in 2023 and 2.0 percent in 2024.

High feed and energy prices and environmental restrictions are pressuring both cattle and swine farmers in the European Union (EU), leading to a reduction in operations.

U.S. beef exports under the EU High Quality Beef (HQB) quota increased by over 2,000 metric tons (MT) in 2022, to 13,438 MT. The quota usage rate increased to 52.9 percent, up from 50.1 percent in 2021, despite an increase in the quota from 23,000 MT in 2021 to 25,400 MT in 2022.

On February 22, 2022, the European Commission (EC) approved two genetically engineered (GE) crops (1 soybean and 1 oilseed rape) for food and animal feed. The two authorizations were published in the European Union’s Official Journal on February 24, 2022, and they remain valid for 10 years.

Despite the increasing costs of production and ongoing HPAI outbreaks, EU chicken meat production is expected to remain stable in 2023. With the easing of COVID restrictions, EU domestic consumption is forecast to increase by 1.4 percent in 2023 following the 1.2 percent growth in 2022.