Final agricultural figures 2024
According to the final agricultural statistics for 2024 from Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, the utilised agricultural area in Belgium remained stable compared to 2023. The number of agricultural holdings decreased slightly by 0.8% in 2024 to 33,973 holdings.
Due to abundant rain in the autumn 2023, a lot fewer winter crops could be sown. This resulted in a decrease by 20.7% for winter cereals (winter wheat, winter barley and spelt). The decrease was more significant in Flanders (-34.7%) than in Wallonia (-13.5%). In order to compensate for this decline, farmers sowed more spring crops in the spring of 2024. As a result, the area under spring cereals (spring wheat and spring barley) increased by 72.7% (+97.4% in Flanders and +64.2% in Wallonia) and grain maize by 14.4%. In the spring of 2024, 5% more potatoes and 4.1% more sugar beets were planted.
More eco-friendly crops and fallow land
The new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP 2023-2027) was launched in 2023. This puts more emphasis on efforts that contribute positively to biodiversity, soil and water quality, sustainable agriculture, climate, etc. All these efforts brought many changes.
For instance, in both Flanders and Wallonia, we saw the share of fallow land rise sharply by 94.7% and 21.4% respectively. Within the fallow land, there is a noticeable increase in flower mixtures, white mustard and fodder radish.
Other crops
In Wallonia, there has been a shift from the category “other fodder crops” (C150400) to the category “mixtures of leguminous crops” (C150830). This is because the crop “Other mixtures (with less than 50% grass) than those already listed” in Walloon area declarations has been replaced by “Mixtures of predominantly leguminous fodder crops (more than 50%) and cereals or grasses”.
In Flanders, oilseeds (mainly sunflower seeds and soybeans) increased by 91.1%. Hemp is also becoming increasingly popular, with an increase of 83% in Belgium.
Almost all vegetables performed well in 2024, except asparagus and broccoli. This was the case in both Flanders (+15.1%) and Wallonia (+19.5%).
Strawberries had a poor year in 2024 due to wet weather conditions. Despite a 2.2% increase in greenhouse area, the total area (open air and greenhouse combined) decreased by 6.4%.
Despite a 5.1% increase in the area of orchards in Wallonia, the total area in Belgium remained stable compared to 2023. Apples fell further by 3.4%, while pears increased slightly by 0.6%. Nuts, however, are doing better and better. In 2024, there was an increase of 10.3% in walnuts and of even 77.9% in hazelnuts.
The increase in the area of berries (+5.7%) was entirely due to the increase in vineyards
(+12.2%).
Cattle and pigs decline further and poultry stock remains almost stable
The Belgian bovine animals has decreased by 4.1% in October 2024 compared to October 2023. The decrease was more significant in Flanders (-4.6%) than in Wallonia (-3.6%). The decline occurred for almost all categories. The number of cattle holdings decreased by 3.3% in Belgium (-3.7% in Flanders and -2.9% in Wallonia).
While the pigs population remained stable in both Flanders and Wallonia in October 2024 compared to October 2023, the number of pig holdings declined only in Flanders (-3.8%). This is probably due to the exit scheme in Flanders. In Wallonia, there were more pig holdings than in 2023 (+1.9%).
The decline in the other categories was offset by the increase in the number of pigs with a live weight of less than 50 kg. Both pig prices and feed prices were favourable for rearing young pigs.
Poultry increased slightly by 0.8% in 2024. This was entirely due to the increase in chickens in Wallonia (+5.1%).