Economic Value of Apple Pollination in the European Union, 2000 to 2024

Insect pollination of crops is an important ecosystem service. Estimating the economic value of this service is a significant challenge. Apple orchards were selected for this study because apple trees are the main crop in the European Union that requires insect pollination to produce a crop. The aim of the study was to estimate the economic value of pollination as an ecosystem service in European Union countries from 2000 to 2024. The calculations used the economic value of production dependence on insect pollination method. The study assumed a 90% impact of insect pollination on apple yields and the average annual apple prices obtained by producers in individual EU countries. Data from the FAOSTAT database were used. The results indicate that between 2000 and 2024, the economic value of apple orchard pollination averaged 7 billion USD annually, with a range of 5.5 to 9 billion USD. The average pollination value of 1 hectare of apple orchard in the European Union increased from almost 9000 USD in 2000 to almost 14,000 USD in 2024. Over the years and within individual countries, the value of pollination varied significantly (from 0.2 to 95.4 thousand USD per ha). The main factors influencing differences in pollination value across EU countries were apple yields and prices received by producers.