EU & UK: Barley trade remains quiet amid poor demand

The tone in the EU barley market remains rather unexciting, as trade is very quiet with demand remaining poor, RMI Analytics said in their latest report.

The winter barley crop in France is seeded and looks better than the very wet conditions of last year (84% Good/Excellent) and the result is winter prices are down a little. Alternatively, spring barley prices are up slightly as feed barley is seeing strength, and wheat markets are impacted by geopolitical uncertainties.

Within the world of barley itself, the market is extremely quiet, maltsters are well covered and news of capacity slowdowns or even closures are circulating, due to a lack of demand.

In both the UK and Denmark, the story is similar to the France picture, sellers are willing participants but the general lack of real buying interest leaves hardly any new business being conducted. For spring barley, prices are down slightly and confirms there is malting barley looking for a home without buying interest. Interestingly, across Europe Crop’25 values have made a small move upward, as the battle for planted area comes into view.