Belgium reported the biggest decrease in agricultural output prices across the European Union in the first quarter of this year, with prices falling by 12.9% compared with the corresponding period a year earlier, according to Eurostat.
Other countries to report notable declines in agricultural prices for the month included Germany (-11.0%) and Lithuania (-10.8%), with a total of 19 EU member states seeing prices decline.
Eight countries bucked the trend, however, with agricultural output prices seeing the biggest increase in Malta (+14.8%), Croatia (+8.5%) and Finland (+5.5%).
Across the EU, agricultural output prices continued to decline in the first quarter of 2026, falling by an average of 2.9% year-on-year as lower milk and cereal prices weighed on farm revenues, according to Eurostat.
The decline was steeper than the 1.7% drop recorded in the final quarter of 2025, extending a trend of weakening agricultural commodity prices across much of the bloc.
At the same time, the average price of agricultural inputs – including energy, fertilisers and animal feed – remained broadly stable, declining by just 0.4% compared with the first quarter of 2025.
Milk and cereals were among the main contributors to the decline at EU level. Average milk prices fell by 15.5% compared with the same period a year earlier, while cereal prices dropped by 11.7%.
Input costs
Input costs remained relatively stable overall, continuing a pattern seen throughout 2025. However, notable differences emerged between member states.
Among agricultural inputs not related to investment, prices fell in 14 EU countries. Germany recorded the largest decline (-3.8%), followed by the Netherlands (-3.4%), while Cyprus and Portugal both reported decreases of 3.1%.
In contrast, input prices increased in 13 member states, led by Lithuania (+16.8%), Romania (+5.0%) and Ireland (+3.6%).
Fertiliser prices
At EU level, fertiliser and soil improver prices rose by an average of 6.6% year-on-year, reflecting continued volatility in agricultural input markets and the knock-on effect from the conflict in the Middle East.
By comparison, feed prices declined by 4.9%, while energy costs edged down by 0.6%.
The latest data comes from Eurostat’s quarterly agricultural price indices, which track changes in the prices farmers receive for their products and the costs they face for goods and services consumed in agricultural production. Read more here.
