Roger Barthelmy, Director of the Rural Economy Service (SER);
Credit: MA
On Monday 1 December 2025, Luxembourg’s third “Day of Agriculture” (Dag vun der Landwirtschaft) took place in the Däichhal in Ettelbruck.
the event brought together representatives of the agricultural sector, with Luxembourg’s Minister for Agriculture, Food and Viticulture, Martine Hansen, using the occasion to discuss current developments, innovations and challenges facing the sector, according to the ministry.
According to the report presented by the Rural Economy Service (Service d’économie rurale - SER), Luxembourg’s agricultural sector saw a slight recovery in 2024 following a decline in Ordinary Income (OE) the previous year. OE rose by 2% to €85,300 per holding, or €61,900 per family labour unit. While this places the result slightly above the five-year average, the overall economic situation remains volatile.
For 2025, the SER expects moderate development, with a possible increase mainly linked to higher milk and beef prices. Exact figures will depend on market price trends.
The report noted that markets for agricultural production inputs largely stabilised in 2025 after the significant disruptions caused by Russia’s invasion, remaining broadly in line with the previous year. Fertilisers were slightly more expensive than in 2024, whilst energy and feed costs were generally somewhat lower.
Prices for agricultural products, however, developed unevenly: cereals came under considerable pressure due to an excellent global harvest and high stock levels, while oilseeds such as rapeseed remained close to last year’s prices and continued to benefit from stable demand. Milk prices were generally higher than in 2024, and beef carcass prices showed very positive developments. Pig prices rose sharply in the first half of 2025 but weakened again towards the end of the year. Overall, products that are regional, sustainable and of high quality remain particularly sought after, according to the ministry.
Another topic on the agenda was the digitalisation of administrative procedures for farmers. In close cooperation with the Centre des technologies de l’information de l’État (CTIE) and its Guichet.lu and MyGuichet.lu teams, producers were introduced to the range of digital services available to them, as MyGuichet is set to become an essential tool in the future.
Supported by the Maschinenring and the Chamber of Agriculture, farms receive individual assistance with digital applications. According to the ministry, digitalisation is intended to simplify administrative processes: applications can be submitted online, data can be checked automatically and errors reduced. Digital maps and farm data support the completion of area declarations, facilitate inspections and accelerate the processing of aid applications - contributing to greater transparency, reduced bureaucracy and more efficient operational planning.
The Minister also addressed the ongoing work related to the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). After she strongly advocated within the Agriculture Council for a further postponement and simplification of the regulation, and sent a letter to the President of the European Commission co-signed by seventeen agriculture ministers, she welcomed the proposed simplifications, which are expected to be adopted with the European Parliament before the end of the year.
Luxembourg intends to integrate the remaining requirements into existing systems, such as the cattle database, and to set up an EUDR helpdesk to support farmers and food-sector operators concerned. “We are trying to reduce the administrative burden to a minimum!” said the Minister Hansen. Additional information sessions will take place in the coming months, while discussions continue in Brussels on ways to simplify the rules without jeopardising the objective of combating global deforestation.
The ministry noted that ammonia emissions have continued to decline in recent years, a trend attributed in particular to reduced use of synthetic nitrogen fertilisers and the wider adoption of low-emission spreading techniques. Additional measures, including nitrogen-optimised feeding and improvements in herd management, are increasingly being integrated into daily farming practices. To support farm-level emission assessments, a monitoring tool has been developed and made available to advisory organisations. The Ministry of Agriculture, together with the Chamber of Agriculture and CONVIS, also organised three information and awareness-raising events to strengthen knowledge transfer across the sector.
Minister Hansen acknowledged the commitment of farmers and emphasised that the agricultural sector is demonstrating its capacity to contribute meaningfully to environmental and climate protection.
During the “Day of Agriculture”, the central role of the agricultural sector in maintaining cultural landscapes and supporting nature and environmental protection was highlighted. Farmers contribute, according to the ministry, by providing around 1,000 hectares of non-productive areas and strips, maintaining more than 4,100 kilometres of hedgerows and tree lines, managing over 9,000 hectares of extensive cultivation and applying sustainable farming practices such as crop rotation, cover crops and undersowing. These measures help protect habitats for insects and birds, preserve soils and reduce pressure on water bodies. Agriculture therefore plays a key role, particularly in protected areas; in 2025, 14.6% of utilised agricultural land was located in water protection areas and 37.7% in nature protection zones.
The ministry added that the government has introduced targeted redistribution of premiums, without imposing bans, to reward ecological services and encourage sustainable sector development. Luxembourg ranks first in the European Union in terms of the share of Common Agricultural Policy expenditure dedicated to nature and environmental protection.
“The Day of Agriculture shows that Luxembourg’s agriculture has a stable economic foundation, is increasingly equipped with the necessary digital tools and actively contributes to nature and environmental protection,” concluded Minister Hansen.
