EU & UK: French malting barley prices up only marginally, UK prices are firmer

In very light trade activity in French malting barley, prices are up only marginally, and despite a rather volatile period in Paris Milling Wheat which tested lows over the past week, RMI Analytics reported on December 5.

The main market influence continues to be the feed barley market, which has increased another USD7-8/ton since the last Journal. Therefore, malting barley prices are gaining support, not from improved market conditions from a demand perspective, but rather from an effort to maintain the already narrow malting barley premium structure.

Malting barley prices in the UK are firmer, driven mainly by the feed market and a very tight UK barley balance sheet overall. For Denmark, prices are mostly steady, with very little activity in crop’25. However, there are some reports of brewer activity in pricing crop’26, despite the considerable premium over crop’25 that remains in place.