Germany set for record soybean harvest in 2026 despite EU‑wide decline

Germany is on course to deliver its largest soybean harvest on record this year, even as overall EU‑27 production is expected to slip below 2025 levels, according to new estimates from the European Commission.

EU soybean output for the 2026/27 marketing year is forecast at just under 2.8 million tonnes, a decline of around 1% year‑on‑year. The drop is driven primarily by a sharp fall in Italian production, which is projected to plunge 15% to 899,000 tonnes – its lowest level in five years. Italy will nevertheless remain the bloc’s largest producer. France, the second‑largest supplier, is expected to increase output by 4% to 408,000 tonnes, with several other Member States also set to record modest gains.

Germany stands out as the strongest performer. The Commission anticipates a 21% rise in German soybean production to 159,000 tonnes, marking the country’s highest harvest to date. Although volumes remain small in EU terms, the rapid expansion underscores Germany’s growing role in supplying domestic protein crops amid rising demand for GM‑free feed and broader crop diversification.

The Union zur Förderung von Oel‑ und Proteinpflanzen (UFOP) said the long‑term trend remains positive, noting that EU soybean production has tripled over the past decade. However, the association warned that the European Commission’s plan to classify soybeans as a high‑iLUC‑risk feedstock would undermine further expansion. UFOP has urged the Council and Parliament to block the delegated act. In a significant development, a majority of MEPs on the European Parliament’s ITRE Committee this week backed a motion recommending that the full Parliament reject the proposal.

As the debate continues, UFOP argues that strong national and EU protein strategies, combined with market pressures in grain and sugar, make crop diversification more important than ever.