Answer given by Mr Wojciechowski on behalf of the European Commission

30.3.2022

The Commission is monitoring prices on a daily basis, and can confirm that for several months cereals prices have been continuously increasing, in the EU and globally.

This increase is exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. Since its start, cereal prices increased by about 25-30%, and oilseeds followed a similar trend, in particular sunflower seeds.

The Commission is adopting two market support measures to address problems in agri-food markets, significantly aggravated by the war in Ukraine. One measure introduces private storage aid for the pig meat sector, which has been undergoing a surge in input prices and a period of low output prices.

The other measure foresees an exceptional adjustment aid to producers in the agricultural sectors most hit by the cost rises and trade disruptions emerging due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In addition, the Commission is adopting an implementing act allowing Member States to derogate from certain greening obligations, in particular by allowing production of protein crops on fallow land that is part of Ecological Focus Areas in 2022.

Given the EU’s net exporting position on agricultural products, the competitiveness of the EU’s agri-food sector, and the presence of a significant fertiliser industry in the EU, it is unlikely that the current situation could cause significant risks to food security in the EU.

These issues were discussed during the first two meetings of the European Food Security Crisis preparedness and response Mechanism (EFSCM).

The communication on food security[1] acknowledges that recent events reconfirm the need to create a sustainable and resilient food system in Europe, as set out in the Commission’s Farm to Fork Strategy.

• [1] https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/food-farming-fisheries/key_policies/documents/safeguarding-food-security-reinforcing-resilience-food-systems.pdf .