EU: Will barley growing be maintained at the same level without the backbone of intervention?

The analysts� answer is likely "yes", at least for the Northern and Eastern part of the EU and the neighbouring countries of Eastern Europe, for biological reasons and for the needs of feed and malting. Barley is a less appropriate grain for Mediterranean countries. And the example of the U.S. shows that the formerly irreplaceable barley in feed mixtures can be replaced by other feeders after all, so that barley is now almost reduced to a specialty crop in that country.

The supply crisis of crude oil and gas has accelerated during the past months, demand for bio-diesel, bio-gas and ethanol is growing fast. Apart from soybean and rapeseed oil, maize and wheat are better energy plants than barley.