The representatives of COPA-Cogeca (organization that brings together European agricultural organizations and cooperatives) have met with the commissioner of the area, Christophe Hansen, to inform him about the damages that the European countryside has suffered due to weather phenomena.
The high temperatures in July and August have negatively affected European crops. France has lost about 40% of its corn production, Slovenia between 50% and 70%, and Italy between 20% and 25% of the harvest of that cereal.
In countries where irrigation is an nonexistent infrastructure because they rely on rainfall, the drought has considerably reduced the harvest of potatoes, beets, and vegetables.
In permanent crops, such as fruits, vines, and olive groves, thermal stress has also damaged the quality of the fruits, causing losses in Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, and Spain.
For its part, livestock has also been affected due to the scarcity of pastures and forage for animals in Germany and Hungary. And in France, Slovenia, Italy, Spain, and Ireland, a significant shortage of feed has been detected.
High prices for inputs
And to all these damages, we must add the high costs of fertilizers and energy that are jeopardizing the profitability of the European agri-food sector.
For all this, COPA-Cogeca has requested Commissioner Hansen that the European Union reconsider its support for the primary sector, with sufficient financial resources to help with the necessary investment to adapt, innovate, and invest in improving water management and climate risk management.
An asset in geopolitics
With the start of the new political course in which the autumn will be marked by the debate on the Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034 and the future CAP, the presidents of COPA-Cogeca are asking "to recognize food production as a strategic objective intrinsically linked to the defense, security, and competitiveness of Europe."
According to the leaders of this organization, "in the new geopolitical context we have entered, agriculture is increasingly seen as an asset, not a burden" and cites as an example the National Agricultural Security Action Plan of the US in 2025; China's policies to maintain the "bowl of rice" and the self-sufficiency that Russia has set for producing its basic foods.
"There can be no secure Europe without a strong agricultural sector. And there can be no strong European agriculture without appropriate European policies for its purpose," they state from COPA-Cogeca, who announce that in October they will celebrate the Congress of European Farmers where they will discuss all these issues.