The unprecedented heatwave and severe drought sweeping across Europe this summer have brought profound disruptions to the agricultural sector, forcing traditional food industries to adapt and livestock farmers into critical measures. From relaxing centuries-old cheese production standards in France to premature cattle culling in the Czech Republic, the climate crisis is heavily weighing on Europe's rural economy.
According to recent reports by The Guardian and Reuters, the French government has temporarily relaxed strict regulations for several iconic traditional cheeses, including Comté, Beaufort, and Abondance. Protected under the European Union’s Appellation d'Origine Protégée (AOP) certification, these cheeses historically demand rigorous standards regarding the local pastures where dairy cows graze. However, with severe droughts impacting nearly 95% of mainland France and pasture growth dropping to roughly one-third of the historical 1989–2018 average, the French National Institute of Origin and Quality (INAO) permitted farmers to supplement feed with grains and forage brought in from outside regions.
The crisis has directly hampered output. Neufchâtel cheese producers in Normandy report production drops of over 30% due to declining milk yields, while about 70% of Salers cheese producers have been forced to suspend operations entirely this summer.
A similar crisis is unfolding in the Czech Republic, where intense summer heat has devastated feed crop yields. A large farm south-east of Prague, housing around 2,900 cattle, has secured only half of its required feed as hay prices quadrupled. To keep core dairy herds alive, the farm had to prematurely slaughter beef bulls and sell young calves. The Czech Agricultural Association noted that similar hardships face farms nationwide, triggering a local drop in beef prices while causing an estimated $968 million loss in agricultural revenues this year.
These localized crises reflect a broader continental emergency. The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) warned that persistent high temperatures and water deficits have sharply deteriorated summer crop prospects across Western and Central Europe. Hard-hit regions—including southern Germany, northern and central Italy, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, and western Romania—face severe growth impediments, with JRC forecasts projecting EU summer crop yields to drop by up to 14% compared to the five-year average.
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