Bumper year for EU grain harvest

A BUMPER harvest is expected this year to replenish EU grain stocks.

The 2003/04 European harvest was damaged by drought, heat wave and winter-kill. This year, set-aside requirements are reduced, boosting cereal acreage by about 2%, and growing conditions have been better.

Supply of grain in the EU-25 should be 15 to 18% ahead of last year, and with tariff rate quotas introduced earlier this year, there is little likelihood of a repeat of the substantial imports of Black Sea region feed grains, which depressed the EU market after last year's harvest.