The latest EU harvest update for 2025 reflects a continent that has been divided in two regarding rain availability over recent months.
This is the main trend identified in the most recently published Joint Research Council Monitoring Agricultural Resources (JRC MARS) bulletin
The role of the publication is to provide timely, independent, and high-quality information on crop-growing conditions and quantitative crop yield forecasts across the EU.
In overall terms, yield expectations for winter crops are above average for Romania, Bulgaria, France, Spain, Ireland, the Nordic countries, and the Baltic countries, thanks to a sufficient water supply along the season.
Around average yields are expected in Germany, Poland and Hungary.
Only in Italy and Turkey are reduced yields due to heat and water stress likely for winter crops.
Spring crops
However,spring crop development in south-eastern Europe has been constrained by persistent rain deficits and high temperatures, notably in Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria, and less prominently in southern Spain and in Italy.
Biomass accumulation is below average, and yield reductions are expected.
Excessive rainfall in Finland and Estonia is complicating fieldwork and raising concerns about localised yield losses and deteriorated crop quality.
Significant yield losses expected in south-eastern Europe
Hungary and Croatia have experienced a precipitation deficit since late May and high temperatures in late June, which have also affected Slovenia. The growth of summer crops has been impacted.
In Romania, Bulgaria and Greece, the hot and dry weather minimally affected winter crops, as they were already close to maturity, but strongly reduced the available soil moisture for summer crops.
Low reservoir and river levels also reduced the amount of water available for irrigation. As a consequence, the growth of summer crops was disrupted during the late vegetative and early reproduction stages.
In Italy, very high temperatures at end of June shortened the grain-filling period of winter crops and the flower fertility of early-planted maize.
Meanwhile, in central Italy, high temperatures were coupled with low soil moisture that affected the grain-filling of soft wheat and the vegetative growth of sunflowers.
In southern Spain and southern Portugal, the very high temperatures in June and at the beginning of July were suboptimal for rain-fed or late-planted summer crops, most notably sunflowers.
In western regions of France, summer crops are currently facing difficulties because of the hot and dry weather combined with a reduced water supply.
Root crops
In Germany, the warm and predominantly dry spring followed by an early summer promoted the spread of pests that have led to diseases affecting root crops such as sugar beet and potatoes.
However, in total contrast, field work in Finland and Estonia has been halted by continuing rain.
This is favouring the development of numerous crop diseases, which may negatively affect winter crop yields.
