![Extreme weather events cost EU farmers €28 billion a year [World News]](https://foodcom.pl/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/News-world_8-1520x760.png "Extreme weather events cost EU farmers €28 billion a year [World News]")
- Extreme weather events cause annual losses of €28.3 billion in EU agriculture.
- Only 20-30% of these losses are covered by insurance.
- By 2050, crop losses could increase by up to 66% if no action is taken.
- The EU and the EIB plan to increase financial support and investment in infrastructure and risk management systems.
Climate threats pose an increasing challenge for farmers in the EU
According to the latest report supported by the European Commission and the European Investment Bank, extreme weather events, exacerbated by climate change, cause an average of €28.3 billion in losses per year in the European Union’s agricultural sector. This amount corresponds to around 6% of total crop and livestock production in the EU. Unfortunately, only 20-30% of these losses are covered by insurance, which means that most farmers do not have adequate financial protection against the effects of climate anomalies.
The main sources of losses are droughts and extreme rainfall, with droughts accounting for more than half of the total damage. The forecasts are worrying: if no decisive action is taken to combat climate change, average crop losses could increase by up to 66% by 2050. Southern European countries such as Spain and Italy are particularly vulnerable, with losses in disastrous years reaching €20 billion per year.
Urgent action and support for farmers needed
EU Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen has called on Member States to use EU agricultural subsidies to better manage climate risks. He stressed the need to increase the availability of insurance and investment in infrastructure, such as irrigation systems, which can help farmers adapt to changing climate conditions.
In response to growing climate challenges, the European Commission has proposed relaxing certain environmental conditions for agricultural subsidies and speeding up procedures for granting aid in the event of natural disasters. In addition, the European Investment Bank plans to increase funding for water management projects to strengthen the resilience of the agricultural sector to the effects of climate change.
For Polish farmers, who are also experiencing the effects of extreme weather events such as droughts and floods, it is important to monitor and take advantage of available support programmes and invest in solutions that increase the resilience of farms to climate change.
