On November 24, the INC attended the 2025 online meeting of the Türkiye-EU Cooperation Scheme on Hazelnuts. This annual meeting serves as a dialogue mechanism between Türkiye and the EU to discuss shared concerns of the hazelnut industry.
The meeting began with a review of the 2024/25 campaign and production expectations for the 2025/26 campaign, with presentations by the EU’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI), as well as by the Italian, French, Spanish and Turkish delegations. The Turkish Ministry of Trade reported that Türkiye’s estimated hazelnut in-shell production figure for 2025/26 is 453,000 MT, on the low end of the 450,000-550,000 MT range of uncertainty reported by the INC in its Crop Update & Outlook of November 13.
Key concerns shared by the presenters included the effects of climate change, the spread of fungi, bacteria and viruses affecting hazelnut trees, and pests such as the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys), the hazelnut weevil and the Japanese beetle. European producers highlighted the lack of authorized plant protection products to address these challenges.
The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) gave an update on aflatoxin controls on hazelnuts and derived products from Türkiye. No special measures have been in place for Turkish hazelnuts since 2021, the number of RASFF notifications remains low, and the situation is satisfactory.
EU officials gave a presentation on agricultural policy developments. Current hot topics include the EU budget for 2028-2034, proposals for new Common Agricultural Policy, and the simplification omnibus to boost the competitiveness of EU agriculture.
Finally, the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture discussed measures taken in Türkiye to combat the brown marmorated stink bug. Methods include spraying some production areas, preventing bugs from entering homes during the winter, using pesticides to kill bugs that do enter homes, using the attract-kill technique to lure bugs at the edges of orchards, and releasing samurai wasps into hazelnut fields in the summer.