An unprecedented heatwave sweeping across Europe in recent days has dealt a severe blow to farmers and livestock producers—many forced to abandon their fields and barns. The crisis threatens the continent’s food supply chain, already under pressure from geopolitical instability in the Middle East. Though meteorologists forecast a gradual easing of extreme temperatures this week, experts warn that such events—and others like them—are increasingly overshadowing the impact of conflict on global food security.
El Niño Adds Pressure to an Already Stressed System
Meteorologists are warning of above-average temperatures for the coming months, with El Niño intensifying the effects of climate change on food production. The agricultural sector is contending not only with soaring fuel and fertilizer costs but also with disrupted growing seasons worldwide.
Beyond Europe, El Niño is already affecting food supplies across Asia. In India, monsoon rains have been delayed, reducing rainfall critical for rice and sugar cane cultivation. In Vietnam, coffee crops are also suffering. According to Bloomberg, Les Fainmore, head of investments at Moreton Capital Partners, noted that while attention has largely focused on the Middle East conflict, the next major shock for global agriculture will likely come from adverse weather conditions—and El Niño is now firmly at the center of concern.
Farmers on the Frontline: Crop Losses and Livestock Deaths
In France—the EU’s top agricultural producer—the record-breaking heat has devastated maize crops and killed hundreds of thousands of chickens. In Spain, pigs have lost their appetite, and key fruit varieties face risks during critical flowering stages. In the UK, dairy cows are producing less milk due to heat stress.
France endured over a week at the epicenter of the heatwave—just weeks after completing maize planting. Farmers had already scaled back sowing following the sharp rise in fertilizer prices triggered by the Middle East conflict. With less than one-third of French maize land irrigated, this year’s harvest could be the smallest since 1990, according to market research firm Expana.
Livestock producers are facing parallel devastation. While the French government rushed to secure feed supplies, hundreds of thousands of animals—including poultry and cattle—have already died, according to Yann Nedelec, CEO of ANVOL, France’s interprofessional poultry association. He explained that the extreme heat across Western Europe caused mass mortality, especially because nighttime temperatures remained dangerously high—preventing animals from recovering. Unlike humans, birds cannot sweat; they regulate body temperature solely through respiration—making them especially vulnerable when ambient heat persists around the clock.