EU: Malt stocks reduced, some places even exhausted
Analysts communicate that the lower production during the past twelve months has led to a reduction, in some places exhaustion of malt stocks in European countries. Silos in Antwerp, Europe's central export point of malt, are virtually empty.
Intra-maltster business, which has a long history for gap-filling in the EU, had come to a complete stop in the past two or three years. Now it has come back to life, proving smaller stocks in many malting companies. Beer consumption in reporting countries in the EU has been far from good in the early (too cold) months of the year, but it is reported that some large breweries are producing reserve stocks of beer for the world championship of football.