The coordinator of the Union of Farmers in Castilla y León, Jesús Manuel González Palacín, has estimated that cereal production in the Community has fallen by between 40 and 45 percent due to the high temperatures recorded in the last 20-25 days. According to him, this heat episode has dashed the forecasts of a good campaign that were maintained until May.
"This heat has wiped out more than 40 percent of the expected harvest," stated González Palacín, who has anticipated that more than three-quarters of the territory of Castilla y León will fall below 3,000 kilos of yield, with losses of between 200 and 400 euros per hectare.
The head of UCCL has added to this drop in production the weakness of cereal prices, which he has compared to those of more than 35 years ago, and the "exorbitant" increase in production costs. In his opinion, it is a "perfect storm" that could lead many farmers in Castilla y León to give up sowing cereal next campaign. "Either aid is provided urgently and with sufficient funding, or next year, in the next campaign, no farmer will dare to sow cereal," he warned.
In this context, González Palacín has called for the implementation of generalized insurance for all farms, considering that in numerous regions it is currently not worth taking out policies because the insurable yields fall below production costs.
Likewise, he has acknowledged that the CAP can act as a "powerful safety net," although he has insisted on the need for aid to be directed primarily to full-time farmers (ATPs).
The president of the Union of Farmers in Ávila, Fran Robledo, has expressed a similar view, indicating that in some of the first harvested plots, productions barely reach close to 1,000 kilos, which is why he has predicted that certain farms will not even be harvested. "We are talking about a critical situation with production costs, depending on the area, between 700 and 1,000 euros per hectare," he lamented, while explaining that productions of between 3,500 and 5,000 kilos would be necessary, levels that will not be reached in 2026.
In relation to the province of Ávila, he pointed out that, in the best-case scenario, yields will be around 2,500 kilos per hectare. "When we have sown, we are sowing at a loss," stressed Robledo, who also called for "incentivizing insurance much more" so that it becomes "more practical" and especially protects the less productive areas "so that production can continue to be maintained and we can continue to maintain the base of farmers, who are the ones who live in the villages and maintain the rural environment."
On the other hand, the president of the Union of Farmers in Segovia, César Acebes, has expressed his concern about the evolution of two livestock sectors that "are very worrying" and are suffering the consequences of last year's diseases, African swine fever and contagious nodular dermatosis (CND).
"We have seen how the price of meat has decreased throughout this year 2026 and it is really worrying because there are pig farms that are on the verge of viability and were coming from times when they were functioning decently, which is how the farm should function," explained Acebes.
Finally, Laura González, a member of the UCCL Executive and head of youth in the Union of Farmers of Castilla y León, has sent a "very clear message" and agreed with the other representatives that the cereal of Castilla y León "is at its limit" after an "incomprehensible and unacceptable" campaign in which producers are unable to cover production costs.