European Parliament Publishes Report on the Impacts of Climate Change on Agriculture

The European Parliament recently published a comprehensive report on the impacts of climate change on agriculture, outlining the challenges, available solutions, and policy instruments to support the sector. The study highlights the increasing severity and frequency of extreme climate events such as heatwaves, cold spells, heavy rains, and droughts across Europe, with varying regional impacts. These events have caused significant losses in the agricultural sector, with more than 60% of drought-linked losses, amounting to around €5 billion annually, being specific to agriculture. The report warns that these losses are projected to increase in the future.

Different regions in Europe face distinct challenges. Northern Europe and mountainous regions are expected to see more heavy precipitation extremes, while Southern Europe will grapple with severe drought and temperature extremes. Central Europe will experience both heat extremes and an increase in heavy precipitation. The report identifies crops vulnerable to climate extremes, such as maize, tubers, and soybean, and emphasizes that the majority of crops will suffer heavy yield damage in case of drought, except where irrigation persists. Grassland is also susceptible to drought, causing cascading impacts on the livestock sector.

The new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform, which promotes policy instruments to proactively mitigate the effects of extreme weather events caused by climate change, is identified as a major turning point. Member States are utilizing instruments such as direct payments (through eco-schemes), sectoral interventions, ENVCLIM interventions, and INVEST interventions to address the challenges of adaptation. However, the report notes that these measures often support single practices, which do not allow for ambitious paradigm shifts. It also underlines the relatively weak mobilization of the CAP in supporting the deployment of risk management tools.

To improve the resilience of EU farming systems to severe climate events, the report recommends fostering systemic approaches at the farm level, supporting the deployment of risk management tools, and strengthening synergies between water management policies, agricultural policies, and climate policies. It highlights the need for better integration of flood and drought risk management into CAP strategic plans.

Farmers will be among the first to feel the growing impacts of climate change, with knock-on effects on rural economies that will have a negative impact on rural populations. This in turn will have a negative impact on food security in Europe and beyond. Supporting both farmers and rural areas is crucial to preserving European rural heritage and ensuring food security. By addressing these challenges, the EU can enhance the resilience of its agricultural sector and help secure the future of food production in the face of increasing climate extremes.