EU food exports rise despite Russian sanctions

Helped by Irish exports, Brussels has reported that the EU maintained its position as the world’s No 1 exporter in 2014, with agri-food exports representing more than 7% of all goods exported and with a net surplus of €18bn.

European Union trade in agri-food was overshadowed in the second half of last year by the import restrictions imposed on some products by the Russian Federation.

Yet, EU exporters managed to diversify destinations and even slightly increase the overall value of agri-food exports.