EU Cuts Summer Crop Yield Forecasts by Up to 14% as Heatwave Scorches West and Central Europe
Updated
Updated · EU Science Hub · Aug 24
EU Cuts Summer Crop Yield Forecasts by Up to 14% as Heatwave Scorches West and Central Europe
1 articles · Updated · EU Science Hub · Aug 24
Summary
Up to 14% below the five-year average, EU summer crop yield forecasts were sharply lowered after persistent heat and exceptional water deficits damaged maize and other crops across western and central Europe.
France, southern Germany, northern and central Italy, Austria, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and western Romania saw the worst stress during flowering and yield formation, with reduced fertility, poor grain filling and premature senescence; local crop failure is likely.
Limited irrigation water and usage restrictions deepened losses in several regions, while Benelux, Slovenia and Croatia also suffered reduced maize yield expectations and sharply weaker pasture and grassland productivity raised fodder supply concerns.
Winter cereal harvests are largely complete and yields remain around the EU five-year average, while cooler, wetter weather forecast for western and central Europe may ease conditions too late to reverse summer crop losses.
Northern and eastern Europe still have relatively better summer crop conditions, but dry-soil alerts remain in southern Ireland, northern Germany and Denmark, underscoring the breadth of drought risk across the region.