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Germany: a key market for European and global agri-food

Germania, un mercato di punta per l’agroalimentare europeo e globale
Germania, un mercato di punta per l'agroalimentare europeo e globale

Germany: a key market for European and global agri-food

 

Germany remains a major player in the agri-food sector, at the European and international level. Not only is it the third largest importer and fourth largest exporter in the world, but, with agricultural production reaching € 76.3 billion in 2023, it ranks second among producers in the European Union (EU), just after France. This is significant data and it highlights the strategic importance of the sector for the German economy.

Germany’s agri-food export, which, according to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) data, reached € 92.5 billion in 2023, is driven mainly by cereals, vegetables and dairy products. 73% of its exports remain within the European Union, with the Netherlands, France, Poland and Italy as major trading partners.

Germany is a prime destination for Italian agri-food exports, with a value surpassing € 10 billion in 2023. Baked goods, wine and fruit are among the main Italian exports to Germany. At the same time, Italy imports from Germany agri-food products worth almost € 8 billion, while maintaining a positive trade balance of more than € 2 billion.

Moreover, several Italian food companies, including Barilla, De Cecco, Caffo, Campari, Ferrero, Francia Mozzarella, Illy, Lavazza, Saquella and Zuegg, have a significant presence in the German market through their own production facilities, while the Italian participation in the main trade fairs, such as Anuga, the International Confectionery Trade Fair (ISM) in Cologne, the International Green Week (Internationale Grüne Woche), Fruit Logistica and the Prowein in Düsseldorf, helps to promote Italian excellence and to consolidate the presence of Made in Italy at the local level.

The links between the two countries in the agri-food sector extend to multiple areas. The collaboration focuses on innovation, sustainability and advanced technologies, as demonstrated by the German-Italian Action Plan of November 2023, which focuses on renewable energy for agriculture and on the use of biogas and biomethane. Agricultural mechanisation is also an important area for bilateral collaboration and leading companies such as CNH Industrial, Maschio Gaspardo and Same Deutz-Fahr (Italy) and Class (Germany) are active in both countries, through subsidiaries, collaboration agreements and distribution networks. In addition, last year the main German Association representing the interests of the mechanical sector (VDMA) opened an office in Castel Maggiore, in the province of Bologna.

In the context of the solid relationship in the agri-food sector and the negative economic situation in Germany, it is therefore essential to maintain a strong Italian representation at the relevant trade fairs, countering the various phenomena of unfair competition that could take away significant market shares from Italian products and monitoring any factors that could alter the prestige of “Made in Italy”. This is particularly relevant with the adoption of the Nutri-Score labelling system by major German supermarket chains.

 

Nutri-Score labelling, a points system

The Nutri-Score is a front-pack nutritional labelling system that classifies products with a rating from A to E (dark green to red), based on their overall nutritional quality. Created by the French National Public Health Agency in 2017, this “traffic light” mechanism has been adopted by several European countries, including Germany (since 2020), with the aim of helping consumers make healthier, more informed food choices. However, the French labelling system is particularly controversial in Italy because, in addition to not bringing proven health benefits to European citizens, its affirmation would be likely to cause serious damage to the interests of the Italian and European agri-food industry. It penalises genuine, high-quality products typical of the Mediterranean diet, such as olive oil, cheeses and cold cuts, located in the traffic light zone between orange and red, and favours the consumption of industrial and ultra-processed foods.

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