In Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, output is expected to be about 3.1 million metric tonnes below the five-year average, according to the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU). Belgium is among the hardest hit, while growers across northwestern Europe report smaller potatoes and weaker yields after repeated heatwaves. The squeeze follows a bumper 2025 harvest that pushed prices lower and prompted farmers to reduce the area planted this year, compounding weather-related losses. In Poland, drought and water stress have also affected growers, adding pressure to a market already shaken by last year’s oversupply. The same dry conditions have lowered major European rivers and strained agriculture, transport and industry across the continent, as Europe’s drought spreads from parched farms to shrinking rivers. Western Europe recorded its hottest summer on record in 2026. Farmers are now reconsidering crop choices and irrigation as increasingly severe weather puts pressure on food production.
