Rain impacts EU grain crops

Yield forecasts for the EU 2024 winter-crop harvest remain above the five-year average, despite the extremely challenging season. Above-normal rainfall across much of western Europe and parts of Scandinavia delayed planting last autumn. It also caused waterlogging during the growing season and high pest pressure in a number of regions. According to The European Commission JRC MARS Bulletin released May 27, temperatures through April and most of May were warmer than usual across almost the entire European continent. However, a cold spell swept through in late April, bringing frost to some regions. Southern and eastern Germany, the northern reaches of the Czech Republic, and western Poland were the worst affected. Field reports suggest that cereal crops avoided serious damage, with the impact primarily limited to flowering rapeseed crops. April and May saw a continuation of the wet-weather pattern, with many regions receiving more than double their long-term average rainfall. ...