The United States has overtaken Brazil to become the EU's main supplier of soybeans, a major source of protein to feed livestock.
Latest figures on EU imports of soybeans shows that the US has become Europe's main supplier of this commodity, reaching a 52% share compared to 25% in in the same period last year.
Presidents Juncker and Trump issued a EU-U.S. Joint Statement following a meeting in Washington on 25 July, in which the two sides agreed to increase trade in several areas and products, notably soybeans.
To monitor the evolution of trade in soybeans, President Juncker put in place a reporting mechanism according to which imports from the United States increased by 133% compared to the same period in the previous year (July-mid-September 2017).
EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Phil Hogan, said: "I welcome the latest trade figures which show that we are delivering on the commitment made by Presidents Juncker and Trump to increase trade, particularly in relation to soybeans.
"This reflects both our longstanding trade relationship and the potential to achieve so much more by working together to build on that relationship."
Overtaking Brazil
The current figures show that imports of US soybeans to the EU have been increasing over the past weeks.
In terms of the EU's total imports of soybeans, the US share is now at 52%, compared to 25% in in the same period last year.
This puts the US ahead of Brazil (40%), the EU's second main supplier, followed by Canada (2.3%), Paraguay (2.3%) and Uruguay (1.7%).
The EU currently imports about 14 million tonnes of soybeans per year as a source of protein to feed our animals, including chicken, pigs and cattle, as well as for milk production.
Soybeans from the US happen to be an attractive feed option for European importers and users thanks to their competitive prices.
