A New Crop of Troubles

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Severe drought in southern Europe this summer is taking a heavy toll on farmers in Spain, Portugal and parts of France and Italy. With rainfall levels far below normal, many crops, from wheat to lettuce, are suffering. Water is now officially rationed in two-thirds of France and much of Spain; some Spanish provinces have even closed or restricted swimming pools and public fountains.

The European Commission estimates that grain production will drop by about 28 million tons, or about 10%, in the four countries, with output of some types of wheat down by 25%. Olive and vegetable growers are worried about heavy losses, and there's been a big increase in forest fires. What's to blame? Not just the weather, argue some critics of Europe's agricultural policies. They say that inappropriate subsidies are at least partly responsible for the calamity.

In a report last week, French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir (roughly, "what to choose") blasted the wasteful use of water for irrigation, pointing out that some of the areas in southern France worst affected by the drought have seen a big increase in the cultivation of maize, a particularly water-intensive crop. The group also criticized the cheap water rates paid by farmers in some of the worst affected areas. "It's a striking paradox: the greater the risk of drought, the lower the taxes on irrigation," the group said.

Farmers reject the criticism, but the crisis could lead to a review of water-allocation policies in the four affected countries. Meanwhile, the European Commission is helping to ease the cereals shortage by providing emergency supplies from Hungary, Slovakia and other East European E.U. members with a glut on their hands — partly because of unusually heavy rain. Maybe the E.U. should pass a directive harmonizing the weather.