JRC August 2024 MARS Bulletin on Crop Monitoring

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) has released its August 2024 MARS Bulletin on Crop Monitoring in Europe, painting a challenging picture for agriculture across the continent due to extreme weather conditions.

According to the report, yield forecasts for most EU crops have been revised downward, with projections now falling below the 5-year average. The decline in expected yields is largely attributed to the impact of severe weather.

Summer crops have been particularly hard hit, with high temperatures across southern, central, and eastern Europe severely affecting production. Grain maize and sunflowers have suffered the most, especially in areas with limited water availability.

Winter crops have also struggled, particularly in northern and western Europe. Overly wet conditions, including intense rainfall in the Baltic countries, have damaged soft wheat and winter barley, reducing grain quality and lowering yield expectations.

The bulletin highlights significant weather anomalies, including extreme heat and dryness in southern Europe, leading to depleted soil moisture and crop stress. Meanwhile, northern Europe has faced excessive rainfall, resulting in waterlogged fields and delayed harvests.

The regional impact has been severe:

• Southern and Eastern Europe: Hot and dry conditions have led to poor summer crop performance, with Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece being the most affected.
• Western and Northern Europe: Persistent wet weather has hampered winter crop quality and delayed harvests, particularly in France, the Benelux countries, and Germany.
• Eastern Europe and Russia: Heatwaves and drought in eastern Ukraine and southern Russia have further worsened conditions, negatively impacting summer crops.

Overall, the report highlights the substantial impact of these unusual weather patterns on European agriculture, leading to lower-than-expected crop yields in many regions.