How Europe's Heatwave is Affecting Food Supply: Cereal Crops, Livestock, and Fresh Foods

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Many parts of the Europe are currently in the grips of one of the most severe heatwaves in recent memory and history.

The Charon anticyclone has led to scorching temperatures across the continent, causing widespread concern over the impact on food supply.

The heatwave is hitting cereal crops particularly hard. Southern Europe is expected to experience a decline of up to 60% in cereal production compared to last year.

This could potentially lead to a shortage of animal feed and potential issues in the livestock sector too.

The livestock sector relies heavily on cereal crops for animal feed. With tighter cereal supply, shortages of animal feed are expected, leading to potential issues in the livestock sector.

Farmers are facing a difficult situation this year, with not much to sell and their crop at a low price with very high input costs.

The heatwave is also posing a challenge to importers of fresh foods into the UK, with the border control post at Sevington not offering refrigeration.

This lack of refrigeration could lead to the cold chain breaking down for goods using this border facility.

The impact of the heatwave on fruit and vegetable crops is less clear, with crops in different development stages.

While tomato crops are expected to be impacted more, irrigation for developing crops will be required.

Heavy rainfall at the start of the season has also caused harvest delays (fruits, vegetables, and grains) in northern Italy.

The extreme hot weather and droughts may lead to a repeat of last year's olive crop failure.

Olive stands as the highly important livelihood source.

The CEO of Filippo Berio UK has a "pessimistic view" about this year's olive crop and olive oil supplies due to the extreme hot weather and droughts.

In conclusion, the Charon heatwave is causing devastating effects on Europe's food supply, with cereal crops being the hardest hit.

The livestock sector may face shortages due to the tighter cereal supply, and the import of fresh foods is facing challenges due to the lack of refrigeration at the border control post.

The impact on fruit and vegetable crops is less clear, but tomato crops are expected to be impacted more.

It's time to take action on climate change and invest in sustainable agriculture to prevent future food supply disruptions caused by extreme weather.