Barley price sits out Transatlantic trade war

By FWi staff

DOMESTIC barley prices remained stable last week, despite a burgeoning Transatlantic grain war.

Analysts had feared that any resumption of aggressively subsidised grain shipments threatened by both the USA and the EU would result in lower prices on both sides of the Atlantic.

That happened last Wednesday when US officials authorised subsidised barley exports totalling 30,000 tonnes in a tit-for-tat response to the subsidised sale of 30,000 tonnes of EU barley to California.

But, so far, UK barley returns are mostly unchanged.

Feed barley on fixed price contracts continues to trade at about £71.80/ tonne ex-farm. Barley futures at mid-day today (Monday) were worth £75.95 (July), £78.25 (November), and £80.35 (January 1999).