<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/17/european-farmers-unprecedented-crisis-successive-heatwaves>
"Successive intense heatwaves and an increasingly severe, continent-wide
drought have left many of Europe’s farmers in an “unprecedented” crisis, with
vegetable and grain growers in particular warning of “catastrophic” harvests.
French vegetable production is down by “a very significant extent” compared
with previous years, French growers have said, with shortfalls put at 25% for
courgettes, 35% for lettuces, 40% for peas, 60% for broccoli and 50% to 100%
for artichokes.
“The vegetable sector is facing a historic crisis,” said Prince de Bretagne,
which groups together more than 1,300 vegetable producers in Brittany, calling
for “urgent action” to address a “dramatic” fall in yields and in the quality
of many crops.
Accelerated, human-caused global heating and a supersized El Niño have scorched
fields across Europe this summer, with plant development prevented by
temperatures routinely exceeding 30C and often 35C, almost no rainfall, and hot
winds.
“Usually one region fares better, which helps compensate,” Eric Legras, of the
4,400-member French canned and frozen vegetable producers’ association, told Le
Monde. “This year, all our main production areas have been hit, and at the same
time.”
Cereal production has been equally hard hit, with the agriculture ministry
estimating the maize harvest in France – Europe’s largest grains producer –
will be down by 35% on 2025 levels at about 9m tonnes, a quantity last seen in
1980.
Part of the fall is due to farmers’ switching to other crops, such as
sunflowers, the ministry said, but it also reflects the impact of this summer’s
vicious heatwaves, which have battered the crucial crop during critical stages
of its growth cycle.
That is likely to cause big problems for livestock farmers. With dairy cows
typically starting to suffer from heat stress above 25C, many producers have
already reported milk yields down by 10%-15%. Most are now also concerned about
winter feed.
Agreste, the agriculture ministry’s statistics service, said last week that
production of hay for winter cattle forage was running about 30% lower than the
1989-2018 average, a shortfall that “is worsening and is now affecting a
growing numbers of regions”."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
