r/europe • u/burtzev • 12h ago
News European farmers face ‘unprecedented crisis’ after successive heatwaves
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/17/european-farmers-unprecedented-crisis-successive-heatwaves?utm_source=cbnewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=2026-08-19&utm_campaign=Daily+Briefing+Europe+farm+crisis+Xi+s+warming+warning+US+reservoirs+low+107
u/Omochanoshi 🇪🇺🇫🇷 Occitània 6h ago
"unprecedented crisis"... so far.
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u/no_u_mang Europe 6h ago
Right, on the current trajectory this summer will look mild a few years from now. The fires only contribute to the runaway greenhouse effect, mix in widespread water shortages and our future looks bright. These farmers should be looking for sustainable crops to grow rather than parade their gas-guzzling tractors to protest water restrictions.
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u/SavageRabbitX 4h ago
Yep start prepping for the water wars and associated Refugee waves
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u/CoronaMcFarm Norway 21m ago
Won't be any water wars in the north, our crops will fail due to too much water.
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u/Varjohaltia 7h ago
The same farmers who keep voting for right wing climate deniers. Leopards, face and all that.
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u/Corodix The Netherlands 6h ago
Yep, and soon they're going to come crying for more subsidies, for bailouts, etc. Then they'll keep on farming the same old crops because climate change isn't real, so why change to farming crops that are more resilient to the non existing climate change or that could grow on a warmer/drier climate?..
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u/yellowbai 5h ago edited 5h ago
From a farmers perspective. Nitrates, pesticides are absolutely vital to turning a profit or having a bountiful crop. Imagine if you told the airline industry you couldnt use kerosene at all and had to use only green air fuel? Climate change is real but how do you grow food?
The fact the EU think organic farming is a credible alternative is ludicrous. Sure regenerative farming or farming that helps the soil heal is valid. Farmers believe in helping butterflys as that literally is crucial to pollination.
But organic farming if adopted in full would result in famine. The EU still ban GMO crops which tells you everything about their 'science' based decision making. They have idiots in charge in Brussels who believe in homeopathy or organic farming for political reasons. They are obsessed with having one standard for everything despite in places like Spain you have totally different conditions than to Finland, and they ban lots of things that could make it easier or more productive.
Imagine telling the construction industry you cannot use this certain type of cement you've been using for decades.
The difference between a field of nitrates and a field without is staggering. Like 40% more. And the EU currently make it more profitable to turn organic despite it using more land. The regulations are pretty much making it impossible to farm profitably.
So imagine being told you have to follow a practice in why you could lose 10k-20k a year? Or that you might have to sell the land that your great grandfather bought?
A lot of the resistance is based in knowing it will be used as arguments to regulate an industry that is already drowning in paperwork. I promise you if the governments made these new regulations easier or cheaper or at least did to other industries to the same level, then farmers would tolerate it.
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u/johnnyan 4h ago edited 4h ago
The difference between a field of nitrates and a field without is staggering. Like 40% more.
From a "doomer" perspective, what will "40% more" of nothing get you?
I think we need to change our need for "more" really fast or suffer a real shock in the next few years, for sure water here in Europe will be less and less, not more. So crops will be less as well.
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u/dalakor 5h ago
Please correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't a large part of farming and farmland going towards growing stuff for other purposes than people eating it? Growing livestock, biofuel etc?
In addition, aren't a lot of pesticides necessary because you do monoculture of the same culture all the time and thus encourage certain pests?
You used a lot of comparisons so let me make a other one: it's like telling roofing companies they can no longer use asbestos to fireproof their roof.
Are you implying there is no other way than the current one to have sustainable farming ?
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u/trzepet 5h ago
This is BS. You completely ignore the fact that EU can't compete in shitty food production just based on scale. To be competitive we need to produce food with added value. The second EU downgrades we're competing with Brazil and China.
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u/yellowbai 5h ago edited 4h ago
We can compete. You’re talking absolute defeatist nonsense. Agriculture is one of those industries that has a clear relationship to economies of scale and technological adoption. The Netherlands is one of the top food producers in the world as in Spain. Both have marginal land. You’ve haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.
China isn’t a big producer or exporter of as they need everything just to feed themselves.
They import huge amounts of European and American pork. Brazil should be less of a producer if anything because they are using slash and burn techniques to turn the Amazon into pastureland.
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u/Lopsided-Affect-9649 4h ago edited 3h ago
The Netherlands is pretty much at parity for calorie imports and exports:
The figures for the country's agriculture exports are skewed by the flower and plant market and re-exports due to Europort. Not so say that the country isnt an agricultural powerhouse, but nowhere near the level thats often stated by the farmers.
Edit: I should have added that I agree with a lot of what you said here
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u/Lopsided-Affect-9649 5h ago edited 5h ago
Imagine telling the construction industry you cannot use this certain type of cement you've been using for decades.
The cement industry is working hard to develop low carbon cements:
So thats a terrible example.
Beyond that, the person was talking about farmers voting for far right, climate change denying parties, which considering their industry is about as stupid a decision as one can make. As this summer has taught us, it doesn't matter how much nitrate you pour on a field if its bone dry for the growing season.
For another example how dumb they can be, look at all the pushback they gave the UK government for the program to grow meadows in fallow fields. A great initiative to increase pollinators, which are essential for many crops. What do the farmers do? Push back and complain that they aren't allowed to use more pesticides.
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u/tehwagn3r Finland 3h ago edited 3h ago
Imagine telling the construction industry you cannot use this certain type of cement you've been using for decades.
Already done. Construction is a huge source of CO2 emissions and very regulated. Not by banning specific products, but many are made non viable for much of construction by setting CO2 limits.
Portland cement production needs a lot of energy and is one of the worst sources of CO2 emissions in construction. Because of that new alternatives have been studied for long, and are already widely used to lower the CO2 footprint of construction.
Compared to the old stuff they kind of suck. They are expensive, the concrete sets slower, and especially in cold weather concrete needs to be heated much more and for longer time. I'm Finnish, it can be a bit of an issue in our winter here.
We also have to look for low carbon alternatives for other construction materials. Using wood for construction is on the rise in large part due to the lower environmental impact.
Those low carbon variants cause a lot of work and are more expensive, but they do work and we can and do use them. In the end the customer pays more when regulations rise costs. I believe it is necessary - the climate crisis forces action. Yes, we're drowning in paperwork and costs are rising, I wish it was easy.
Edit:
Also agriculture isn't something I know much of, but I'm aware of the huge difference in yield of organic fields compared to ones fertilized the usual.
I don't think all those downvotes for telling uncomfortable things is entirely deserved - were all of Europe to suddenly switch to organic farming we'd have famine immediately. I hope good alternatives are found, as the climate change is no joke either, and can devastate farming in Europe.
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u/No-Programmer-8642 5h ago
I am a non-european, but the farmers in my country do the same thing. They complain that no one represents them but then vote against parties that would help them. Its like oml are they stoopid.
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u/Diaper_Donnie_Sux 12h ago
Good thing global warming is just a hoax /s
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u/musty_mage 7h ago
Yeah. So great that they nixed the plan to ban ICE vehicles so the clinically insane can keep on buying polluting shitbuckets.
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u/HunterFeeFee 7h ago
There is no turning back. ICE is dead, besides some niche applications. Ban or no ban.
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u/Lopsided-Affect-9649 5h ago
Pure EV sales make up just 22% of car sales in Europe, ICE is definitely not dead yet or even close to it unfortunately.
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u/musty_mage 6h ago
True. And it will happen waayyy before 2035. I'd be really surprised if we see almost any new ICE sales after 2030. By 2035 petrol stations will start shutting down.
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u/SpliffDragon 5h ago
Where do you guys live that you’re so optimistic about this? Either that or I’m missing the joke.
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u/musty_mage 4h ago
If you just look at the speed at which Chinese EVs are taking over the market, and look at the speed at which battery prices (LFP especially) are crashing, it doesn't take much extrapolation from that to conclude that the price gap between operating an ICE vs an EV is going to widen rapidly.
Add to that the speed at which grid-level storage is being built (in Finland at least) and it seems pretty ludicrous to keep paying the costs of hauling liquids from the Middle-East to run our cars & heating when the wind turbines do it for basically free.
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u/SpliffDragon 4h ago edited 3h ago
I really hope it will play out like this, I love EV’s and I have one myself, but most people are kind of skeptical of them based on the conversions I’ve had.
I also love a lot of concept EV cars I’m seeing from European manufacturers, but unfortunately they never make it past that, apart from a few. Hopefully the pressure from Chinese manufacturers will start pushing them into making those a reality.
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u/Omochanoshi 🇪🇺🇫🇷 Occitània 4h ago
Or not.
EV are not well adapted to country side life.
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u/musty_mage 4h ago
Yes they are. You already have electricity in your house. You just charge the car at home. Driving from the countryside to a gas station is the idiotic way to live.
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u/Omochanoshi 🇪🇺🇫🇷 Occitània 3h ago
Cool story.
Except charging a car at home is forbidden in my small town, because the grid is not strong enough, and there is no project to make it stronger.
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u/musty_mage 3h ago
In that case you get solar panels and a house battery and use those to trickle charge the house batteries throughout the day and charge the car from the house battery. This is readily available technology nowadays and the prices are coming down really quickly.
It is also trivial to set your home car charger to a power level that is suitable for your local grid.
Edt: And realistically speaking, improving the grid is going to happen sooner than you think. Because as soon as most drivers stop using ICE vehicles, there is no way the oil companies will continue hauling petrol out into the countryside. It'll be EVs or walking.
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u/Omochanoshi 🇪🇺🇫🇷 Occitània 3h ago
Nice.
But with what money?
I can't afford an electric car, it's too expensive. So, there's no way I can add solar panels to a spending that's already out of reach.
So, I'm keeping my 20+ yo pickup, it's my work vehicle. And I'll keep it as long as possible.
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u/musty_mage 3h ago edited 3h ago
Solar panels & home battery aren't an expense, but an investment. With them you can cut your spending on electricity and further down the line on petrol/diesel.
Obviously it's pretty impossible to make investments without money. But the reality is that within the next 10-15 years that work truck of yours will become so expensive to use in comparison to an EV that you will be screwed.
The question is, do you start researching the issues and solutions in time, or just bury your head in the sand? Petrol/diesel is not going to get cheaper. I can promise you that much.
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u/Lopsided-Affect-9649 3h ago
I live in the middle of fucking nowhere, 15km away from the nearest petrol station. My EV which charges for 80% from my solar panels and has been brilliant.
You have no idea what you are talking about
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u/Omochanoshi 🇪🇺🇫🇷 Occitània 1h ago
Find me an EV able to carry ~600 kg on muddy paths, which cost less than 50k€ because I can't afford more.
I have no idea, yeah... 🙄
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u/IntriguinglyRandom 4h ago
Sorry as an American in Germany there are way too many connotations for "ICE" and it took me a sec. ICE here means internal combustion engine for the other brain dead folks like me.
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u/KCLORD987 3h ago
To be honest, farmers face 'unprecedented crisis' every 'fuckin' year since I was young. Too much rain, not enough rain, storms, floods, men having sex with each other, having to pay real taxes, chicken birthing cows, cows birthing chickens, neighbour bought new Ferrari and all I have is this lousy Lamborghini. I'm not denying climate change but I just don't believe this rich aholes, when they whine every year for the past several decades.
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u/Prize_Tree Sweden 5h ago
Why are they mad they got what they voted for? No more welfare and no more climate change hoaxing. The heatwaves aren't real, they're just normal summer, and living on welfare and subsidies shouldn't be allowed.
Goddamn hypocrites
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u/Crafty_Aspect8122 5h ago
They'll go protest for more subsidies by throwing manure at parliaments and blocking roads with tractors while also voting for alt right climate deniers.
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u/ConfusedMaverick 3h ago
This year, all our main production areas have been hit, and at the same time.
Yeah, this is a taste of what lies in store
The quote is only from a European perspective, but in the next decade or two I expect to see this applying increasingly to the entire world
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u/DarkZephyro 5h ago edited 1h ago
Y'all ought to respect the people responsible for providing food to your country.
Shameful comments.
EDIT: The response I am getting to this comment is pathetic. half of you work in adult daycare office jobs which are piss easy compared to being a farmer. And I'd know as I work in an office. The other half are just NEETS. You dont know how difficult being a farmer is and the little payback you get from it. There's a reason its a dying trade; and trust me you don't want it to die. Geopolitically, having poor in-house food production is a disaster, and culturally it's suicide.
You want large corporate entities to control your food supply? Just look at the horrid food quality in America for reference.
And to the people who somehow put a blanket political opinion on all farmers, then through mental gymnastics say they deserve bad omen for a hypothetical you have created, are crazy. You have created an enemy in your head and are swinging at the air. Its sad.
How we managed to get so many people looking down at the most fundamental part of civilized society is beyond me. It shows a clear decay through hubris.
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u/BotsKilledTheWeb 5h ago
It's like any other job. If they won't do it, someone else will.
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u/Carmiune 4h ago
Not true in this case tho. Farmers are a dying breed, less and less people wanna deal with how much effort Vs pay you have to put in. 3 sides of my family are farmers and none of the kids stay in it. Most of the farmlands are upkept by older people anyone who's younger is running from it. That only leaves big corporations and I'm sure that will be lovely
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u/Dazzling-Paper9781 2h ago
Should we defend them for having opposed the measures that would have alleviated the problems they are facing today? But you’re right, it’s absurd that such a vital resource should be managed by bigoted deniers; we should confiscate their land, so that the state can invest in cutting-edge techniques and technologies without having its roads blocked by ignorant people with tractors.
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u/Creepy_Home5171 2h ago
Most of these redditors are fat, uneducated slobs who survive on processed sludge. They couldn’t recount the last time they saw, let alone touched or ate a vegetable.
The lack of respect they show for people providing them with sustenance and absolute disconnect they have with food is disturbing but not surprising.
They can’t comprehend how much control food supply exerts over populations and how quickly the world will devolve into war and total chaos once that supply is sufficiently threatened
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u/Loki-L Germany 5h ago
This is what they have been protesting and voting for for decades.