Denmark reaps worst grain harvest in 35 years

Drought and hot weather this summer has devastated crops, with one expert calling it the worst for a century

A roasting hot summer offering little rain has had a hugely detrimental impact on the Danish agriculture industry as farmers bring home the harvest for the year.

It has already become clear that the unseasonable weather has cost the sector billions of kroner, and now it has emerged that this year’s grain harvest has been the worst since at least 1983.

“The principal explanation is the extended period of drought, lasting from when the crops were sown until they were harvested,” Asbjørn Børsting, the head of Dafoko, an interest group within grain and feed, told TV2 News.

READ MORE: Government agrees on drought aid to agricultural sector

Wet autumn last year
Other experts have also lamented that an immense amount of rainfall last autumn had a negative impact on the harvest this year, and additionally many farmers were forced to wait until mid-spring to sow their crops due to a severe cold spell in March.

According to national statistics keeper Danmarks Statistik, this year’s grain yield of 6.5 million tonnes is the worst in 35 years – but Børsting thinks the situation is even more dire now because of how grain is dispersed today.

“You can measure and compare using many methods, but it you take it crop for crop, it’s the worst harvest in maybe 100 years. It was extremely feeble,” he said.

Yesterday the government agreed to hand out a 380 million kroner aid package to the beleaguered farmers due to the unforgiving circumstances.

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