Browse Data and Analysis

This report provides an overview of EU food and feed legislation currently in force for the EU. USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) staff reviewed and updated all sections of this annual report.

On October 8, 2024, the European Commission approved four genetically engineered crops (corn and cotton) for food and animal feed. The four authorizations were published in the European Union’s Official Journal on October 10, 2024, and they remain valid for 10 years.

This guide provides an overview of health certificates needed for exporting plants, animals, foods, and other animal origin products to the European Union.

EU milk production in 2025 is forecast to decline marginally to 149.4 million metric tons (MMT), from an estimated 149.6 MMT in 2024, as a result of declining cow numbers, tight dairy farmer margins, environmental regulations, and disease outbreaks.

The European Union (EU) follows a complex, rolling system of review for active ingredients and Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) in food. For agricultural inputs, U.S. farmers must know early in the process of review to prevent or mitigate the loss of, and/or access to, chemical inputs.

The European Union (EU) follows a complex, rolling system of review for active ingredients and Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) in food. For agricultural inputs, U.S. farmers must know early in the process of review to prevent or mitigate the loss of, and/or access to, chemical inputs.

On July 2, 2024, the European Commission approved three genetically engineered crops (maize/corn) for food and animal feed. The three authorizations were published in the European Union’s Official Journal on July 4, 2024, and they remain valid for 10 years.

On December 7, 2023, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a new Regulation on the protection of animals during transport to replace Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005.

In March 2024, the Council of the European Union and European Parliament concluded negotiations on the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Regulation. The current text is going through a legal review but is now de-facto final and is expected to be formally adopted in the coming months.

Colombia is the largest South American market for U.S. agricultural products and the seventh-largest market for U.S. food and beverage exports globally. Since the U.S. – Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (CTPA) was implemented in 2012, U.S. agricultural exports have grown by more than 235 percent to a record $3.7 billion in 2023.

On January 26, 2024, the European Commission approved two genetically engineered crops (1 maize and 1 rapeseed) for food and animal feed. The two authorizations were published in the European Union’s Official Journal on January 30, 2024, and they remain valid for 10 years.

EU organic sales decreased slightly in 2022, but rebounded in 2023 due to recovering economic conditions.