European Farmers Dump 5 Million Tons of Potatoes as Belgium Spot Prices Hit Zero

1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 30

Belgian and other European farmers are dumping surplus potatoes back into fields after spot prices for fry potatoes fell to exactly zero, leaving even near-free offers without buyers.
5 million metric tons of excess supply built up after good weather produced Europe’s biggest potato harvest in eight years, overwhelming demand for processing potatoes.
Exports were already under pressure from Trump administration tariffs and rising competition from Asian producers, cutting into sales from Belgium, the world’s biggest frozen-fries exporter.
The Iran war then lifted energy and fertilizer costs and squeezed consumers, further eroding margins in a market where one farmer discarded 1,000 tons—enough for 200 million fries.

With millions of tons of potatoes being dumped, why aren't consumer prices for French fries falling?

Can Europe's potato industry innovate its way out of this crisis before the next harvest arrives?

Is this massive food waste a sign that Europe's agricultural model is fundamentally broken?