European farmers are confronting an 'unprecedented crisis' as successive heatwaves and a continent-wide drought devastate vegetable and grain harvests, with French maize production projected to fall by 35% and Italian agricultural losses exceeding €3bn.
Historic crisis in vegetable production
French vegetable growers report significant shortfalls compared with previous years, with production down by 25% for courgettes, 35% for lettuces, 40% for peas, 60% for broccoli, and 50% to 100% for artichokes, according to Prince de Bretagne, a group representing over 1,300 vegetable producers in Brittany. The organisation called for 'urgent action' to address a 'dramatic' fall in yields and quality, describing the situation as 'a historic crisis'.
Eric Legras, of the French canned and frozen vegetable producers' association with 4,400 members, told Le Monde: 'Usually one region fares better, which helps compensate. This year, all our main production areas have been hit, and at the same time.' The crisis stems from accelerated human-caused global heating and a supersized El Niño, with temperatures routinely exceeding 30C and often 35C, almost no rainfall, and hot winds scorching fields across Europe.
Maize and cereal harvests plummet
Cereal production has been equally hard hit. The French agriculture ministry estimates 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. The ministry attributes part of the fall to farmers switching to other crops like sunflowers, but also to the impact of summer heatwaves during critical growth stages.
This decline is likely to cause significant problems for livestock farmers. With dairy cows typically suffering heat stress above 25C, many producers have reported milk yields down by 10%-15%, and most are concerned about winter feed. Agreste, the agriculture ministry's statistics service, reported that hay production for winter cattle forage was running about 30% lower than the 1989-2018 average, a shortfall 'worsening and now affecting a growing number of regions'. Egg production has also been hit, with a catastrophic mortality rate in poultry houses during the June heatwave, leading to output about 1m eggs a day lower than the norm, according to France's national egg promotion board.
Italy and Spain suffer severe losses
In Italy, about 60% of farmland is affected by drought ranging from mild to severe, according to Coldiretti, the country's largest farmers' organisation. Crop yields for corn, rice, soya beans, vegetables, and fruit have been badly hit, with milk production falling by 20%. The overall cost to the sector, including damage from wildfires and heavy storms, is estimated at more than €3bn.
The drought is particularly acute in the Po valley, a vast area straddling four northern regions, home to about 80% of Italian rice production, due to severe depletion of the country's longest river. Italy, Europe's largest rice producer with about 235,000 hectares planted in 2025, has seen growers forced to irrigate crops only on alternate weeks to save the season.
In Spain, cereal harvests are 35% below the previous year in Castilla y León, 49% in the Madrid region, and 24% in Andalucía. Sheep and goat's milk production is down 6.5% and 10.8% respectively, authorities said. Spain's national wine federation has predicted a 20% fall in production for 2026, with director José Luis Benítez warning that successive heatwaves will reduce crops as grapes are smaller for lack of moisture.
Governments pledge aid
Governments have pledged costly aid packages to help the sector. French prime minister Sébastien Lecornu has promised €145m in immediate aid, along with 'structural support and investment measures' in the 2027 budget. The aid aims to mitigate the immediate impact and support long-term resilience, though the full extent of the crisis is still unfolding as farmers brace for further challenges.
