EU farmers face falling produce prices as fuel and fertiliser costs rise

Eurostat figures show a widening gap between the prices farmers receive and those they pay, as EU ministers discuss support and farming groups demand help.

EU farmers received lower prices for their products on average in the second quarter of 2026, while the prices of supplies used in agriculture increased, according to Eurostat.

Agricultural output prices fell by 5.8% compared with the same period in 2025, the statistics office said. It was the third consecutive quarter of year-on-year decline.

Meanwhile, average prices for goods and services consumed in agriculture, such as energy, fertilisers and animal feed rose by 4.7%.

Ministers for agriculture, who met on 28 September, highlighted high production costs, particularly for fertilisers and energy, alongside lower output prices and pressure on farmers' profit margins.

Milk prices recorded a particularly sharp fall, with the average price farmers received being 16.6% lower than a year earlier. Cereal prices fell by 5.6%.

On the other side of the balance sheet, energy and lubricant prices rose by 22%, while fertilisers and soil improvers became 13.4% more expensive.

Average agricultural output prices fell in 20 EU countries, with Denmark recording the steepest decline, at 17.2%, followed by Ireland at 16.2%.

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