Work in Parliament Question for written answer E-000969/2022 about cereal supplies in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Russia and Ukraine are the world’s top exporters of wheat (29% of global exports), corn (15%) and sunflower oil (69%), accounting for around one quarter of the EU’s cereal and vegetable oil imports.

There is a risk of a surge in consumer prices and a risk to supplies for producing compound animal feed.

Over the past year, the steady rise in input prices (which, in some cases, have increased by as much as 50% compared with 2020) and extreme weather events (drought) have put our farmers under tremendous pressure.

In view of this:

1. Is the Commission planning measures to coordinate action among Member States to prevent prices from spiking as a result of reduced cereal reserves for food and animal feed?

2. When will a package of exceptional market measures come into effect, and has the Commission planned ways to ramp up cereal production, for example by allowing cereal crops to be grown in fallow areas?

3. Is it planning measures to mitigate the effects of the rise in input prices, and will it revise the objectives of the ‘Farm to Fork’ and biodiversity strategies to ensure food security in the EU?