Agricultural sale prices are down, particularly for livestock
The prices that farmers received for their produce in Q2 2026 were 8.5 percent lower than in Q2 2025. This was mainly because prices for animal products and live animals have fallen by 21.1 percent and 14.8 percent, respectively. Milk had the greatest impact, however, with the average sale price down by 26.2 percent, year on year. By contrast, the goods and services purchased by agricultural holdings were up in price by 2.9 percent, on average. This is according to new figures from the agricultural prices index of Statistics Netherlands (CBS).
| Type | Agricultural prices (% year-on-year change) |
|---|---|
| Sale prices for agricultural goods (including fruit & vegetables | -8.5 |
| Purchase pices for goods and services used (excluding investment) | 2.9 |
| * provisional figures | |
Lower prices for milk and pigs, higher prices for eggs
Prices for animal products were 21.1 percent lower in Q2, year on year. Milk is the most important product in this category, and fell in price by well over 25 percent. The average sale price for eggs, on the other hand, was up by 4.3 percent. Livestock prices were down by 14.8 percent. Pigs were down by 30.1 percent, cattle by 2.4 percent and poultry 6.6 percent.
The picture with regard to plant-based products was mixed. Sale prices for potatoes were down by 30.9 percent in Q2, year on year (in Q1 they were doen by 42 percent). Sale prices for cereals were down by 9.6 percent. Fresh vegetables, meanwhile, were up by 8.5 percent on average. There was considerable variation within this group, however: prices for carrots and tomatoes were up considerably (by 123.4 percent and 37.4 percent, respectively), while prices for onions and cabbages were down considerably (by 70.4 and 57.7 percent, respectively).
| Onderwerp | Prices (% year-on-year change) |
|---|---|
| Fresh vegetables | 8.5 |
| Cash crops | 0 |
| Cereals (incl. seed material), total | -9.6 |
| Live animals | -14.8 |
| Fruit | -18.2 |
| Animal products, unprocessed | -21.1 |
| Potatoes (incl. seed potatoes) | -30.9 |
| * provisional figures | |
Energy and fertilisers have risen in price
The prices paid by agricultural holdings for the goods and services they require were up by 2.9 percent in Q2, year on year. Energy and lubricants were 9.9 percent more expensive in Q2, while in Q1 they had been 13.8 percent cheaper year on year. Fertiliser and soil improvers cost 21.3 percent more; in Q1 the increase was 7.7 percent. This rise was mainly due to nitrogen-based fertilisers, which were 29.3 percent more expensive.
| Product | Purchase prices (% year-on-year change) |
|---|---|
| Fertilisers and soil improvers | 21.3 |
| Energy and lubricants | 9.9 |
| Maintenance, equipment | 4.9 |
| Other goods and services | 3.3 |
| Veterinary fees | 2.8 |
| Maintenance, buildings | 2.5 |
| Crop protection products | -0.5 |
| Animal feeds | -1.0 |
| * provisional figures | |
Statistics Netherlands (CBS) has been compiling the Agricultural Price Index since 2025 in order to track price changes in agricultural products and agricultural inputs, and to monitor how these affect the incomes of farmers and horticulturalists. CBS provides these figures to Eurostat, the European statistical office, so that price trends in the member states can be compared.