Moreover, due to dried-up meadows, winter feed reserves for livestock have significantly decreased, AFP reported, citing Joachim Rukwied, head of the German Farmers’ Association.
This summer, southwestern Germany was particularly hit hard by heat and low rainfall, causing forest fires, drying up arable land, and lowering river water levels. In some southern regions, where it has not rained for several weeks, “crop losses or even total crop failure are very likely,” said J. Rukwied.
“We farmers have long felt the effects of climate change,” said J. Rukwied. “Growing seasons have shifted, and harvesting starts much earlier than before. Moreover, extreme weather events have greatly increased – from long drought periods to heavy rains and hail.”
According to calculations by the German Agricultural Cooperatives Association “Raiffeisen,” this year’s grain harvest shortfall may reach three million tons, with losses around 600 million euros.
“The year 2026 will go down in history as an exceptionally hot year,” said the association’s grain market expert Guido Seedler and added that these losses “will deliver a heavy blow to the agricultural sector.”
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J. Rukwied urged the government to intervene and financially support farmers, for example, by reducing the excise duty on diesel used in agriculture.
Speaking about autumn crops, he said that “we must expect significant crop losses here as well,” including potatoes, vegetables, and sugar beets, as well as corn and soybeans.
The situation is somewhat better in northern Germany, where there has been some rain in recent weeks, he said, but added that long-term trends there also indicate that the harvest will be “below average.”
