News in brief

Monday 6 July 2026

France’s crops to feel full impact of June’s heatwave

This article appeared as part of the Daily Sensemaker newsletter – one story a day to make sense of the world. To receive it in your inbox, featuring content exclusive to the newsletter, sign up for free here.

France is expecting its worst corn harvest in decades due to the heatwave at the end of June. Its agricultural ministry believes high temperatures wiped out a third of the corn crop, about half of carrot production and 60% of hops. Up to 3m chickens also died, and in some areas forage for livestock declined by 50%. This will translate into higher supermarket prices, and things could get worse, with a third heatwave expected to hit next week. It is more evidence, if any was needed, that Europe will have to adjust as the climate changes. Of the 50 major heatwaves the continent experienced from 1950 to 2021, 34 of them occurred in 2002-2021.

Newsletters

Choose the newsletters you want to receive

View more

For information about how The Observer protects your data, read our Privacy Policy

Follow

The Observer
The Observer Magazine
The ObserverNew Review
The Observer Food Monthly
Copyright © 2025 Tortoise MediaPrivacy PolicyTerms & Conditions