EU agricultural output prices fall as input costs rise

In the second quarter of 2026, EU agricultural output prices fell by an average of 5.8% compared with the same period in 2025, marking the third consecutive quarter of year-on-year decline, according to data published by Eurostat.

At the same time, the average price of agricultural inputs not related to investment, including energy, fertilisers and feedingstuffs, increased by 4.7% year-on-year. This rise followed a period of relative input price stability throughout 2025 and into the first quarter of 2026.

Agricultural output prices decreased in 20 EU countries. The sharpest declines were recorded in Denmark (-17.2%), Ireland (-16.2%), Latvia and Estonia (-14.5% each), followed by Luxembourg and Lithuania (-14.2% each). In contrast, the strongest increases were observed in Croatia and Malta (+3.9% each) and Cyprus (+3.5%).

Input prices followed a different trend, increasing in all EU countries. Lithuania recorded the largest rise (+16.4%), followed by Romania (+11.7%) and Latvia (+9.7%). The smallest increases were registered in Hungary and Portugal (+1.2% each) and Malta (+1.5%).

Among the main agricultural products, EU milk prices recorded a particularly sharp year-on-year decline of 16.6% between the second quarters of 2025 and 2026, while cereal prices fell by 5.6%.

On the cost side, energy and lubricants showed one of the strongest increases. Their average price across the EU rose by 22.0% year-on-year, while fertilisers and soil improvers became 13.4% more expensive.

The Eurostat figures therefore show opposing trends for EU agriculture in the second quarter of 2026, with declining output prices coinciding with rising costs for key agricultural inputs.