The EU's agri-food trade surplus reached €30.1 billion in the first seven months of 2026, €2.9 billion higher than a year earlier, according to the European Commission's latest trade report.

Exports to Egypt rose 22 percent, mainly on wheat; exports to Ukraine rose 10 percent, led by spirits; and exports to Turkiye rose 7 percent on veal and beef. Exports of other animal products gained €549 million (11 percent) and spirits and liqueurs €470 million (10 percent), while coffee, tea, cocoa and spices fell €1.3 billion (16 percent) and pigmeat and olive oil also dropped. Total exports were €138.7 billion, 1 percent lower.

Exports to the Middle East were hit by blockages in the Strait of Hormuz from March, with shipments to the United Arab Emirates down 23 percent, or €437 million, though figures were near average from June. Imports fell 4 percent to €108.6 billion: imports from Côte d'Ivoire dropped 21 percent and from Cameroon and Nigeria 46 percent, while imports from Brazil rose 5 percent on soybeans and from Argentina 8 percent on sunflower seeds.

Photo: Antoine Meissonnier / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Source: Agriland