Long term prospects. Grains, milk and meat markets

In late 1995 the European Commission presented its Agricultural Strategy Paper in which it outlined the major challenges European agriculture and its rural areas would be facing at the turn of the century and the implications these might have for future policy developments. In its working programme for 1997, the Commission announced its intention to present a communication on the financial framework from 2000 onwards, to be accompanied by "a very careful look at the future of the Communities policies, in particular the common agricultural policy and structural policies".

In the light of these orientations, the Directorate-General for Agriculture has undertaken a number of studies, which examine in detail the current situation and the longer term outlook for some of the main agricultural markets, developments in rural areas, and in world markets. These studies are being published as working documents under the common heading ‘CAP 2000’.

This document presents a general overview of agricultural market trends and long term projections of supply and demand for the main commodities.