Europe's harvest crisis

[Llewlladdwr]

Europe's harvest crisis

Fear of severe effect on economies after heatwave devastates grain crops

John Vidal and Heather Stewart
Saturday September 6, 2003
The Guardian

The prolonged heatwave has devastated crops across Europe, leaving some countries facing their worst harvests since the end of the second world war.

The searing weather, especially in central and eastern Europe, has forced countries that usually export food to import it for the first time in decades. Several, including Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania, are experiencing rising food prices and the UN is warning this will have a severe impact on economies.

According to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), wheat output in the EU is expected to be millions of tonnes down on last year, with much greater losses in southern Europe than in the north.

More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/Story/0,2763,1036729,00.html

[PartyPooper]

1. I was afraid of this.

It seems the only good news resulting from this weather catastrophe...is that Italian and French wine producers are expecting an outstanding grape harvest...the best they've seen in many years.

[Paschall]

5. There's another "harvest crisis" afoot as well

The heatwave has ripened many crops early, so harvesting is not going to be staggered throughout the fall. Wine and fruit producers are all crying at once for the same migrant farm labor pool (Roms, Portuguese, North African, Polish). They can't hire enough hands to get what has survived of their crops to market.

[lebkuchen]

2. I don't mean to make light of the above mentioned harvest.....

but I just got back from a superb weinfest in Bavaria, celebrating the wine harvest and the arrival of the bremser, or neuerwein. Bus-loads of German tourists came from the surrounding areas, sometimes two hours away, to celebrate in this tiny village in the middle of wine country. One group of tourists brought their instruments and played German music and Dixieland, impromtu, in the street, eventually planting themselves in front of a weinbau whose owner provided free bremser and food. A lederhosen clad group of male dancers, who did not know the bandmembers, showed up and danced in the street to their music, blocking on-coming traffic headed down to the ferry.

Life as usual in Germany....

[aquart]

3. How is OUR grain crop doing?

If Europe has to buy from us, do we have it to sell?

[Kellanved]

6. EU produces too much food - even a bad harvest won't be problem

Prices will go up for some groceries; other crops are said to be exceptional (cucumbers, fruits, Wine).

[DemBones DemBones]

4. Prediction: US will pressure the EU to abandon restrictions

against GMOs. They're already doing this, actually, but they'll ramp up their efforts now. Some Americans are determined to export the worst things about our country. Europeans care more about food and leisure, taking time to live while we too often rush about enjoying nothing. We should be importing their ideas about longer vacations, eating more locally grown foods, being more cautious about what we add to our foods or introduce to our environment. If we paid more realistic prices for our energy consumption, we'd also conserve more, as Europeans do. Oh, yeah, that's "old" Europe for you. We have to do our own thing. :eyes:

[femmecahors]

7. The U.S. could learn a lot from "Old Europe."

I just hope that Europe doesn't go the way of the US . . . suburbs, traffic jams, sprawl, strip malls, processed foods,half hour lunch breaks at your desk. They're already embracing this crap but there are still big pockets of the country where you can escape from it if you want.

Funny how when I shop in the stores in my small village, and have to wait in line because there is only one clerk in the store, I'm relaxed and the other customers are friendly and relaxed as well. But go to Leclerc or Carrefour (Walmart Wanabees) and the French people turn into Americanesque creeps. I've don't go to these supermarches any more . . . I'd rather pay a little money for good food and not support the corporate/American way of life that I'm trying to escape.

Bonjour Pascall . . . we have had a beautiful heavy rain down here for the past 5 hours!