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After an EU-wide drought in 2022, the EU27 dairy herd is forecast to drop below 20 million head in 2023. This will lead to a continued decrease in milk production and deliveries for factory use despite higher farm gate milk prices. As EU dairy processors continue to favor cheese production, the decrease in milk deliveries will be at the expense of butter and non-fat dry milk (NFDM), and, to a lower extent, lower whole milk powder (WMP) production, despite high world market prices.

In MY 2022/23 Bulgaria expects to harvest a sunflower crop of 2-2.1 million metric tons (MMT), on par with the previous season. Despite optimistic expectations early in the season based on higher area planted and favorable weather, average yields have been affected by the summer drought and heat, along with higher pest infestation.

Irrigation water limitations in the Guadalquivir basin resulted in lower area planted to cotton for MY 2022/23 and a significant drop in yields. Cotton production has also been negatively affected by pest incidence. Industry sources argue that Spanish farmers should be eligible for cotton specific support despite the reduction in yields.

The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (known as the Fødevarestyrelsen) has announced Denmark will lift its temporary ban on keeping mink as of January 1, 2023. The ban had initially been imposed for 2020/2021 for the sake of public health during the coronavirus pandemic and was later extended to include 2022.

After a summer of Dutch farmer protests, a much-anticipated independent report was presented to the government and public on October 5, 2022. In it, the government-appointed independent facilitator and former politician, Johan Remkes, presented his findings from talks he held with the government, the Dutch agricultural sector, industry, nature organizations, and others.

Turkey’s HRI sector, which continues to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, is now grappling with rising inflation and economic uncertainty. Persistent inflation has eroded consumers’ buying power, causing them to switch to cheaper dining-out options, such as fast food and street stalls.

In marketing year (MY) 2022/23, Bulgaria expects to harvest a corn crop of 2.8 million metric tons (MMT), 18 percent lower than in MY 2021/22. The decrease can be attributed to nine percent decline in area planted, yields severely impacted by the summer drought and heat, and higher pest infestation.

This report updates several sections of the European Union’s “Oilseeds and Products Annual” report released in April 2022. Updated sections include soybean, rapeseed, and sunflower. Increased areas of about 10 percent for all three major oilseeds but lower average yields for sunflower, and rapeseed are forecast to result in a total of about 3 percent higher production in MY 2022/23.

Total EU27 sugar production for MY 2022/23 is forecast at 16 million metric tons (MMT), a decrease of 330,000 metric tons (MT) from MY 2021/22. This is the fifth consecutive year that the EU internal sugar production cannot meet domestic sugar consumption.

With more than 83 million of the world’s wealthiest consumers, Germany is the largest market for food and agricultural products in the European Union. The German market offers good opportunities for U.S. exporters of consumer-oriented food and agriculture products, particularly nuts, fish and seafood products, dried fruits, bakery products, and organic products.

The European Union (EU) follows a complex, rolling system of review for active ingredients and Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) in food. For agricultural inputs, U.S. farmers must know early in the process of review to prevent or mitigate the loss of, and/or access to, chemical inputs.

One of the goals of the EU’s Farm to Fork (F2F) Strategy is to enhance the EU’s animal welfare legislation. The enforcement of existing legislation on animal welfare during transport has proven difficult in past years.