Severe European Drought Devastates Dutch Potato and Vegetable Harvests

A severe drought across Europe is taking a heavy toll on agriculture in the Netherlands, with farmers in the southwestern province of Zeeland reporting critically dry conditions and significantly reduced harvests.

Maarten Janse, a farmer in the region, is spreading compost, straw, and manure over his fields in an effort to nourish the parched soil. Despite these measures, the lack of rain has made it difficult to even harvest the crops that are ready.

"It's simply so dry that even the crops that still need to be harvested - you can't even harvest them properly, because you need moisture in the soil to be able to dig them up," Janse said.

The rainfall deficit is stark. Janse noted that July brought just five millimeters of rain, and August is on track for virtually none. This creates a two-month shortfall of around 180 millimeters, building on deficits from the previous winter and year.

"We were already dealing with a deficit from the winter and from last year, so we're just continuing to build up that shortfall. And now it's starting to become critical," he added.

Fellow Zeeland farmer Hendrik Jan ten Cate is facing a similar crisis in his potato fields. The crop has deteriorated about a month earlier than normal, with the greenery gone and the potatoes much smaller than expected. Many are only five or six centimeters in size, well below the typical ten centimeters.

Ten Cate, who supplies potatoes to processors for companies like McDonald's, says the smaller size will be a problem. "People know that they prefer longer fries in their boxes. Well, that's simply going to be much more difficult this year, at least with these potatoes," he explained.

Even with permission to irrigate, ten Cate estimates his harvest will be down by about one-third compared to average years. In many parts of the Netherlands, farmers are no longer allowed to use water from streams and drainage channels for irrigation.

Janse has tried to adapt by using no-till farming and diversifying his operations, including running a campsite and growing samphire, a crop that tolerates salty conditions. However, the extreme dryness has even defeated this hardy plant.

"Samphire needs fresh water, and all we have is salt water. So it isn't growing either," Janse said.

The drought is part of a broader pattern of extreme weather across Europe, exacerbated by human-caused global warming and a strong El Nino. A Dutch bank analysis estimates the heat waves and drought could reduce the European Union's GDP by 1% for 2026, or around 180 billion euros.