Higher incomes in the agriculture sector in 2024
Total agricultural output (volume) was 1.2 percent lower in 2024 than it was in 2023. Arable production, horticultural production and livestock production were all down. However, due to a modest increase in average output prices (up by 0.2 percent), total production value was only down by 1 percent, to 41 billion euros.
The value of all the goods and services necessary for agricultural production (i.e. intermediate consumption) fell by by 5 percent compared with 2023. Despite the slight fall in production value, producers’ margins increased because their costs fell by more, in relative terms. Overall, then, incomes in the agricultural sector were up by 5.1 percent.
Labour volume remained almost unchanged from 2023. After adjusting for price changes (up by 5.5 percent in 2024), agricultural incomes per work year fell by 0.3 percent.
| Categorie | Income (2015=100) | Output price (2015=100) | Consumption price (2015=100) | Labour volume (2015=100) | Output volume (2015=100) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| 2016 | 105.2 | 99.0 | 96.8 | 102.0 | 102.1 |
| 2017 | 121.1 | 103.4 | 98.0 | 104.0 | 102.8 |
| 2018 | 105.6 | 103.6 | 102.5 | 107.4 | 100.5 |
| 2019 | 112.8 | 106.0 | 104.8 | 108.1 | 102.4 |
| 2020 | 109.5 | 102.5 | 102.6 | 108.1 | 102.6 |
| 2021 | 117.1 | 109.8 | 113.4 | 108.1 | 103.9 |
| 2022* | 126.2 | 133.1 | 142.0 | 108.7 | 101.0 |
| 2023* | 149.2 | 138.1 | 138.2 | 108.7 | 99.6 |
| 2024* | 156.8 | 138.4 | 130.8 | 108.7 | 98.4 |
| * provisional figures | |||||
Lower costs for fertilisers, compound feed and energy
The cost of fertilisers, energy and compound feed, in particular, were lower in 2024 than in 2023. Prices for gas and electricity fell by around 20 percent, just as they had in the previous year, but remain elevated. In 2022 they shot up by over 200 percent.The rise in energy prices was triggered by the war in Ukraine and the subsequent ban on Russian gas imports. The price trend for fertilizers (down by 17.5 percent in 2024) is closely correlated with energy prices.
Lower production value in animal products partly due to lower milk production
Animal production by volume was down in 2024 compared to 2023, while average output prices were up by 1.3 percent. Animal production by value was down by 1 percent.Prices for raw milk were 7.7 percent higher in 2024 than in 2023, but milk production fell by 2 percent. Farmers produced less milk due to a smaller number of livestock. Milk, which accounts for half of the production value of livestock farming, saw a rise in production value of nearly 7.4 billion euros.
Pig prices drop due to increased supply on the European market
Just as in 2023, livestock producers in 2024 sent more cattle to slaughterhouses, but fewer pigs and poultry. Overall, this led to a drop in the production volume for livestock.
Both the number of pigs in the Netherlands and the production volume of pig farming declined in the Netherlands, but in many other EU countries the number of pigs was up slightly. Pig prices fell by 10.6 percent due to increased supply on the European market. Overall, prices for pigs remain elevated following the very sharp price increases seen over the past two years.
| Prijs- en volumemutatie 2021 | Change in price (% change relative to 2023) | Change in volume (% change relative to 2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 0.2 | -1.2 |
| Fruit | 8.4 | -6.5 |
| Milk | 7.7 | -1.9 |
| Potatoes (incl. seed potatoes) | 6.9 | 0.1 |
| Plants and flowers | 6.9 | -1.5 |
| Cattle | 1.5 | 0.1 |
| Forage crops | -2.6 | 0.2 |
| Sugar beet | -3.0 | -3.0 |
| Poultry | -4.1 | -2.8 |
| Eggs | -8.0 | 3.0 |
| Cereals (incl. seed) | -10.0 | -30.5 |
| Pigs | -10.6 | -2.0 |
| Fresh vegetables | -11.0 | 1.8 |
| * provisional figures | ||
Production value of crop sector unchanged
Production (by volume) in the crop sector fell by 1.4 percent in 2024 relative to 2023. Average output prices in the crop sector rose by 1.5 percent. This took the overall production value to 20.4 billion euros, unchanged from 2023.The drop in the volume of cereal production is noteworthy. In addition to a smaller acreage being given over to cereal production, the wet spring also meant that fewer cereal crops were sown. Cereal prices also fell, causing production value to decline sharply (down by 37.5 percent).
Drops in ornamental horticulture and vegetable farming
The production of ornamental plants, which accounts for almost half of the production value of the crop sector, declined for the third consecutive year (down by 1.5 percent in 2024). Greenhouse horticulture continues to face elevated energy costs, even though energy prices fell in 2023 and 2024. Like last year, some producers left their greenhouses empty. Prices for ornamental horticultural products rose by 6.9 percent, due to an increase in the demand for cut flowers.The production value of fresh vegetables fell by 9.4 percent, even though vegetable farmers saw their production increase by 1.8 percent. The increase was offset by lower sales prices for fresh vegetables (down by 11 percent).