March 3, 2022

FEFAC highlights "severe shortages" for EU feed industry due to impact Ukraine-Russia war

COCERAL, FEDIOL and FEFAC have expressed "deep sorrow" over the impact of Russia's widely condemned invasion of Ukraine.

Companies in the grains and oilseeds sectors are taking steps to ensure the security of employees on the ground, the organisations said.

"They also have to continue honouring their contracts, conscious that the importance of Ukraine's supply of agricultural raw materials and ingredients to the EU is such, that our inability to import from that country will create severe shortages, both for the feed and food Industries," a press release states.

The Black Sea region represents an important supply of grains and oilseed products for the world market. Ukraine, in particular, exports about 60 million tonnes of grain to the world. It was expected in the current marketing year that the country would export about 33 million tonnes of corn and 24 million tonnes of wheat.

For Europe, corn represents the main imported product from Ukraine with a yearly average of 11 million tonnes, but also other commodities such as sunflower oil, with about two million tonnes.

COCERAL, FEDIOL and FEFAC consider essential to address immediate practical issues for the vessels arriving in Europe from Ukraine, to anticipate potential adverse impacts for the food and feed supply chains and stress the urgent need to set up contingency plans that will help mitigate the loss of Black Sea origin for these commodities.

- FEFAC