EU food and agriculture sector to be hit hard by Ukrainian crisis

The grain trade disruption is expected to continue and it will become a major problem for farmers across Europe.

There is not enough grain in Europe to feed the animals kept on farms, and as the crisis over Ukraine tends to escalate, an intermediary supplier will not be found anytime soon. The Ukrainian crisis will have serious side effects that could be "painful" for European farmers and the wider food system, a senior EU official in the European Parliament warned this week.

“The consequences will have a serious impact on our agri-food sector, and it will be painful. But we must endure this pain. Vessels do not enter or leave Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea. This situation is not expected to change any time soon,” said Michael Scannell, spokesman for the Commission's Department of Agriculture.

RUSSIA and Ukraine together account for more than 30 percent of world trade in wheat and barley, 17 percent of corn, and more than 50 percent of sunflower oil, seeds and oilcakes for animal feed. All exports from Ukraine have been stopped, and Russia is under international sanctions, mainly from the EU, the US and other NATO member or allies.

Meanwhile, German MEPs are beginning to question whether the EU's agricultural system is truly sustainable in this new geopolitical context. “Can we afford to feed 70% of our grain to pigs and poultry? We must think about creating a sustainable agricultural system,” said German Greens MEP Martin Hausling.