Faced for the second year running with a severe drought affecting more than a quarter of its territory, Spain has sent a plea to Brussels for aid to help farmers—especially in four regions that are at risk of having no harvest at all. The French minister of agriculture has officially supported the request.
Spain is facing a severe drought, exacerbated by the legacy of last winter, which was particularly mild and dry. 27% of the country is currently in a state of emergency or alert, and water reserves are currently only 50% full. Cereal crops will be the first to suffer, especially as an early heat wave is forecast.
Spanish Agricultural Minister Luis Planas sent a letter on Tuesday, April 25th, to the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wociejchowski, asking for exceptional aid, which would be provided by the Common Agricultural Policy’s crisis reserve. Planas also pleaded for a lighter application of CAP rules on crop rotation and the use of new seeds in this difficult context, in order to facilitate the work of farmers in this difficult situation.
The Commission acknowledged receipt of the request and announced its intention to investigate whether or not the requested aid could be granted to Spain.
French Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau announced on Thursday, April 27th that he fully supported the Spanish request at the occasion of a press conference organised in Paris between Fesneau and his Spanish counterpart Luis Planas to show the common views between the two countries. Fesneau stressed that the problem of drought could affect the whole of Europe, even if Spain and Portugal are currently the main victims. France is also concerned about the climate situation, as the drought is affecting the southern portion of the country.
During their joint press conference, the two ministers mentioned the risk of higher fruit and vegetable prices due to the drought. France is the main destination for Spanish fruit and vegetable exports, thus Spain’s problems become France’s.
It would appear that as of May 9th, no direct intervention by the European authorities is in order on this issue. Nevertheless, reports continue to circulate anticipating severe devastation of produce and olive crops for this season.
