A notable drop in the European production of hops, an essential ingredient for brewing

The president of ASAJA León, Arsenio García Vidal, and the hop grower in Gavilanes de Órbigo, Isidoro Alonso, participated this Thursday, by videoconference, in the meeting of the Copa-Cogeca Hops Working Group in Brussels. The meeting analyzed the impact of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in this sector; the situation of the harvest and prices in the European and international market and the news regarding the use of phytosanitary products, as well as other regulations that affect the sector. One of the main concerns of hop producers throughout Europe is the high cost of all means of production, particularly fertilizers, phytosanitary products, labor, and the energy used in dryland processes. The Copa-Cogeca has highlighted the fall of 28% in the production of hops in the European Union and warned that the lack of effective phytosanitary products means a difficult rest for the hop industry as a whole. Also, this organization of European farmers reveals the lower quality ...