Agriculture in 2024: fewer winter crops due to heavy rainfall
According to the provisional agricultural statistics for 2024 from Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, the utilised agricultural area in Belgium remained stable compared to 2023. Due to abundant rain last autumn, a lot fewer winter crops could be sown.
Decrease in winter cereal area
In 2024, the area of winter cereals fell below the 1999 levels due to poor weather conditions. Many winter cereals could not be sown, resulting in a decline of 24.1% for winter wheat, 28.7% for spelt and 28.5% for triticale. This led to the lowest area in this decade.
To compensate for this decline, farmers sowed more spring cereals. This resulted in a 4.7% increase in sugar beet plantations and a 7.3% increase in potato plantations. The share of fallow land also increased by 50.9%, as did forage crops by 5.3%, including an increase of 5.5% for green maize and 62.8% for legumes. Yet this increase was not enough. The total area of cereals was 12.1% lower than last year, which is also the lowest level since 1999.
In the spring, 18.9% more grain maize was sown, bringing the area just below the 2022 level. In addition, 180% more spring wheat was sown, reaching the level of 2013.
The area of rapeseed fell by 12.3%, mainly because essentially winter rape is grown in Belgium.
Unable to sow some of the winter crops in autumn, farmers turned to spring crops.
Slight decrease in the number of pigs
The pig population has decreased by 0.7% in May 2024 compared to May 2023.
The total number of fattening pigs remained stable, but there were differences between weight classes. For instance, the number of fattening pigs from 20 to 50kg decreased by 14.6%, while the number of fattening pigs between 80 and 110kg increased by 16.8%.
Breeding pigs register a decrease of 1.1%. The number of covered sows decreased, while that of non-covered sows increased. Piglets under 20kg register a decline of 2%.
The cattle population fell by 1.8% in May 2024
In contrast to May 2023, the Belgian cattle population decreased by 1.8% in May 2024. The decrease was almost equal in all age classes.
Only a 2.8% increase was observed among calves for slaughter under 1 year old and a 3% increase in male cattle over 2 years old. This could be due to favourable meat prices for calves and bulls in 2024 and also feed costs remaining at relatively low levels.
The number of suckler cows fell by 2.7% and the number of dairy cows by 1.1%. Despite favourable milk prices, the bluetongue virus and European (and Belgian) environmental and nature legislation have a negative impact on the number of suckler and dairy cows.
The number of breeding heifers fell in all age classes in May 2024. This suggests that cattle numbers will decline further in the near future.
The provisional results were obtained by coupling administrative data for crops, cattle and pigs to Statbel’s agricultural register.
Winter wheat production down by 30% in 2024, spring wheat production tripled: Provisional harvest estimate 2024
Agricultural data for 2024
- Provisiona harvest oestimate - 2024
- Provisional agricultural results May 2024
Agricultural data for 2023
- Final harvest oestimate - 2023
- Tab A: Agricultural figures 2023 - Full list of variables - Results for Belgium, the Regions, the provinces, the agricultural regions
- Tab B1: Agricultural figures 2023 - Limited list of variables - Results for the arrondissements, the agricultural regions in the provinces
- Tab B2: Agricultural figures 2023 - Limited list of variables - Agricultural figures per municipality
- Tab C: 2023 - Surface area of crops or number of animals and number of holdings according to classes of utilised agricultural area
- Provisional agricultural results May 2023
Agricultural data for 2022
- Final estimate of the production of agricultural crops - 2022
- Tab A: Agricultural figures 2022 - Full list of variables - Results for Belgium, the Regions, the provinces, the agricultural regions
- Tab B1: Agricultural figures 2022 - Limited list of variables - Results for the arrondissements, the agricultural regions in the provinces
- Tab B2: Agricultural figures 2022 - Limited list of variables - Agricultural figures per municipality
- Tab C: 2022 - Surface area of crops or number of animals and number of holdings according to classes of utilised agricultural area
- Provisional agricultural results May 2022
Agricultural data for 2021
- Final estimate of the production of agricultural crops - 2021
- Tab A: Agricultural figures 2021 - Full list of variables - Results for Belgium, the Regions, the provinces, the agricultural regions
- Tab B1: Agricultural figures 2021 - Limited list of variables - Results for the arrondissements, the agricultural regions in the provinces
- Tab B2: Agricultural figures 2021 - Limited list of variables - Agricultural figures per municipality
- Tab C: 2021 - Surface area of crops or number of animals and number of holdings according to classes of utilised agricultural area
- Provisional agricultural results May 2021
Agricultural data for 2020
- Final estimate of the production of agricultural crops - 2020
- Tab A: Agricultural figures 2020 - Full list of variables - Results for Belgium, the Regions, the provinces, the agricultural regions (phase 2)
- Tab B1: Agricultural figures 2020 - Limited list of variables - Results for the arrondissements, the agricultural regions in the provinces
- Tab B2: Agricultural figures 2020 - Limited list of variables - Agricultural figures per municipality
- Tab C: 2020 - Surface area of crops or number of animals and number of holdings according to classes of utilised agricultural area
- Provisional agricultural results May 2020
Agricultural data for 2019
- Final estimate of the production of agricultural crops - 2019
- Tab A: Agricultural figures 2019 - Full list of variables - Results for Belgium, the Regions, the provinces, the agricultural regions
- Tab B1: Agricultural figures 2019 - Limited list of variables - Results for the arrondissements, the agricultural regions in the provinces
- Tab B2: Agricultural figures 2019 - Limited list of variables - Agricultural figures per municipality
- Tab C: 2019 - Surface area of crops or number of animals and number of holdings according to classes of utilised agricultural area
- Provisional agricultural results May 2019
Agricultural data for 2018
- Final Estimate of the production of agricultural crops - 2018
- Tab A: Agricultural figures 2018 - Full list of variables - Results for Belgium, the Regions, the provinces, the agricultural regions
- Tab B1: Agricultural figures 2018 - Limited list of variables - Results for the arrondissements, the agricultural regions in the provinces
- Tab B2: Agricultural figures 2018 - Limited list of variables - Agricultural figures per municipality
- Tab C: 2018 - Surface area of crops or number of animals and number of holdings according to classes of utilised agricultural area
Survey on certain species of fruit trees 2017
Agricultural data for 2017
- Final estimate of the production of agricultural crops – 2017
- Tab A: Agricultural figures 2017 - Full list of variables - Results for Belgium, the Regions, the provinces, the agricultural regions
- Tab B1: Agricultural figures 2017 - Limited list of variables - Results for the arrondissements, the agricultural regions in the provinces
- Tab B2: Agricultural figures 2017 - Limited list of variables - Agricultural figures per municipality
- Tab C: 2017 - Surface area of crops or number of animals and number of holdings according to classes of utilised agricultural area
Agricultural data for 2016
- Final estimate of the production of agricultural crops – 2016
- Tab A: Agricultural figures 2016 - Full list of variables - Results for Belgium, the Regions, the provinces, the agricultural regions
- Tab B1: Agricultural figures 2016 - Limited list of variables - Results for the arrondissements, the agricultural regions in the provinces
- Tab B2: Agricultural figures 2016 - Limited list of variables - Agricultural figures per municipality
- Tab C: 2016 - Surface area of crops or number of animals and number of holdings according to classes of utilised agricultural area
Agricultural data for 2015
- Tab A: Agricultural figures 2015 - Full list of variables - Results for Belgium, the Regions, the provinces, the agricultural regions
- Tab B1: Agricultural figures 2015 - Limited list of variables - Results for the arrondissements, the agricultural regions in the provinces
- Tab B2: Agricultural figures 2015 - Limited list of variables - Agricultural figures per municipality
- Tab C: 2015 - Surface area of crops or number of animals and number of holdings according to classes of utilised agricultural area
Remarks:
The number of holdings in Belgium that produce for sales has increased by 0.7 %. This is due to more flexibility on the definition of active farmers in 2018, on the one hand, and to a further refinement of Statbel's agricultural register, on the other hand. This results in an increase of the agricultural area and in the number of bovine animals and pigs.
The large increase of the surface area for mixes of leguminous plants in Wallonia is due to the distinction made as of 2018 between mixes of cereals and leguminous plants, on the one hand (classified under other cereals) and mixes of leguminous plants and cereals, on the other hand (classified under mixes of leguminous plants). Until 2017, this division did not exist. The whole surface area was classified under other cereals. This also results in a decrease of the surface area for other cereals in Wallonia.
In 2018, there was a break in the trend for poultry. We can see a large increase. This is because until 2017, holdings did not have to report any poultry when farming was suspended for health reasons. They had to report the number of animals present on 15 October. If the poultry house was empty on that day, they had no animals. From 2018 onwards, holdings with empty poultry houses for health reasons (cleaning or disease outbreak) have to report the number of animals that were present before farming was suspended.
Remarks:
The number of holdings in Belgium that produce for sales has increased by 0.7 %. This is due to more flexibility on the definition of active farmers in 2018, on the one hand, and to a further refinement of Statbel's agricultural register, on the other hand. This results in an increase of the agricultural area and in the number of bovine animals and pigs.
The large increase of the surface area for mixes of leguminous plants in Wallonia is due to the distinction made as of 2018 between mixes of cereals and leguminous plants, on the one hand (classified under other cereals) and mixes of leguminous plants and cereals, on the other hand (classified under mixes of leguminous plants). Until 2017, this division did not exist. The whole surface area was classified under other cereals. This also results in a decrease of the surface area for other cereals in Wallonia.
In 2018, there was a break in the trend for poultry. We can see a large increase. This is because until 2017, holdings did not have to report any poultry when farming was suspended for health reasons. They had to report the number of animals present on 15 October. If the poultry house was empty on that day, they had no animals. From 2018 onwards, holdings with empty poultry houses for health reasons (cleaning or disease outbreak) have to report the number of animals that were present before farming was suspended.