Farmers across Europe are warning of a slump in food production and rising prices as crops from maize to salads suffer as a result of extreme heat, drought and wildfires. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.

Olive groves have also been hit as the climate crisis drives temperatures across the continent to fresh record highs, meaning the cost of olive oil – already at elevated levels – is expected to start rising again.

Vegetable production losses

The vegetable growers association Légumes de France has warned that thousands of tonnes of products worth tens of millions of euros had been lost – including salad leaves, carrots, leeks, garlic and onion – with production on certain crops expected to be halved because of the lack of rain.

The scorching French weather has also held back grape growth in wine regions including Champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy, threatening a smaller crop and one of the earliest harvests on record.

In Champagne, producers expect the earliest harvest ever, with picking likely to start around 15 August, about a month earlier than was typical a few decades ago. Growers now expect grape yields to be about 10% smaller than last year, Reuters reported.

Spain's cereal forecast

In Spain, the ministry of agriculture predicts the country's 2026-27 cereal crop will fall from last year's 24m tonnes to little more than 18.5m tonnes – a forecast made before wildfires took their toll.

That is despite Spain's farmers being more adapted to hot dry conditions, growing crop varieties that can cope with higher temperatures and drawing more on irrigation and water storage to manage periods of drought.

The European Union has cut harvest predictions on a whole menu of crops with expectations for sunflowers, essential for cooking oils, down by 7%. Meanwhile, grain maize is down 6% on the previous forecast and expectations for potatoes and soya beans have been trimmed by 3%.

However, some countries have been less badly hit than others with Romania, for example, seeing more rainfall and Italy's wheat crop proving resilient.

Impact of wildfires

The ASAJA agricultural trade body said direct damage from fire had hit orchards, vineyards, agricultural land and greenhouses – affecting citrus fruits, avocados, almonds, vineyards, vegetables and olive groves – while water stress and extreme temperatures had hit production of tomatoes and maize.

While local production losses may reduce export volumes for some products, a spokesperson said, the main concern was "higher production costs" rather than restrictions on international trade.

Olive oil price surge

Olive oil producers said they expected another surge in prices this year as growers struggled with a combination of extreme heat, drought and, in some cases, fires.

Groves have burned in Greece, Italy and Portugal this summer and even those nearby that were spared the flame have suffered blowing ash and poor air quality. The extreme hot weather has also prompted an increase in pests, disease and heavy storms as well as affecting fruit size.

The price of olive oil around the world had drifted down from a spike two years ago that was driven by rising demand, hot and dry weather and the spread of pests and disease. However, the prices for a one-litre bottle of extra virgin oil in UK stores remain above £7 on average and have begun rising again in recent months.

Sarah Vachon, founder of the Citizens of Soil olive oil group, said: "Unless the weather is under control soon, we should expect pricing to rise in the autumn since there will be less edible fruit to make olive oil from."

Walter Zanre, head of the UK arm of olive oil brand Filippo Berio, said temperatures in Spain, Europe's main olive oil producer, had been closer to normal than elsewhere in Europe but trees were suffering from drought, which can prompt them to shed their crop.

"The combination of drought-induced fruit loss and an earlier harvest will be closely monitored over the coming weeks, as both factors have the potential to materially influence olive oil production volumes and market prices for [next year]," he said.

Shortages in the UK

The UK harvest has also been hit by ongoing droughts with wholesalers saying they are having to turn to Spain and elsewhere for mainstay items such as iceberg lettuce and broccoli while British farmers have warned of shortages.

Jason Bull, managing director of UK food importer Eurostar Commodities, said: "Repeated heatwaves have accelerated the ripening and harvesting of winter crops across much of Europe, shortening the critical grain-filling period and potentially reducing grain size, quality and overall yields.

Winter harvests are progressing rapidly and remain reasonable in many countries, but heat has reduced yield potential and may affect grain quality."