French agriculture is suffering heavy losses due to heat waves, fires and drought, with farmers expected to need billions of euros in government aid.
The head of France's largest agricultural union, FNSEA, Arnaud Rousseau, said the final extent of the losses would not be clear until the heatwave ended, but current indicators suggested the damage would reach unprecedented levels.
Rousseau added, in statements to France Info radio, that the available agricultural insurance programs will not be sufficient to cover the extent of the damage, noting that work in the agricultural sector, whether crop cultivation or livestock breeding, becomes almost impossible when temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius.
For her part, French Agriculture Minister Annie Genovard said that the heat wave had caused serious damage to the agricultural sector, resulting in a sharp decline in vegetable production and milk quantities, in addition to high livestock mortality rates.
These developments come at a time when several European countries are experiencing a severe heat wave, with the greatest impact on Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Greece, while France is facing widespread forest fires.
French President Emmanuel Macron had indicated that his country was experiencing the largest number of forest fires since the end of World War II, amid continuing harsh climatic conditions and rising temperatures.
