
According to the August issue of the JRC MARS Bulletin - Crop monitoring in Europe, published today, weather conditions in the EU and the associated impacts on yield expectations were quite contrasting during the period of review (1 July to 15 August).
However, changes to crop yield forecasts are very limited at the EU level.
Improved yield outlook for summer crops in western and north-central Europe
In most parts of western and north-central Europe, predominantly mild temperatures and adequate water supplies led to an improved yield outlook for summer crops.
In some of these regions, the harvest of winter crops continued to be hampered due to frequent rains, leading to a slight reduction in the yield forecast for winter cereals.
Heatwaves and drought negatively impact summer crops in southern regions
In contrast, hotter-than-usual conditions prevailed in southern, eastern and northern European regions.
Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, western Romania, Bulgaria and Greece were affected by a severe heatwave starting at the end of July. The resulting negative impacts on non-irrigated summer crops were particularly felt in the areas affected by drought.
In Sweden, the Baltic countries and Finland, a hotter-than-usual July negatively affected the grain filling of spring and winter cereals.
In southern European Russia, the heatwave in August came too late to damage winter crops, but winter cereals in more central regions were negatively affected during the later stages of grain filling.


Further information
JRC MARS Bulletin - Crop monitoring in Europe - August 2021
JRC MARS (Monitoring Agricultural Resources) Bulletins
Regularly updated relevant maps and graphs can be found via the JRC MARS Explorer.
The latest information about global agricultural production hotspots for countries with food insecurity risks is available on the JRC’s ASAP (Anomaly Hotspots of Agricultural Production) site.
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Details
- Publication date
- 23 August 2021