Floods, droughts and panic attacks: Climate change is taking its toll on Europe's farmers
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Portuguese farmers are stressed by dry summers and winters
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This year he saw the hot, dry summer season lasting into October - before slipping into a dry winter. “The extreme warm weather causes stress on our animals,” he says. “We have had to invest as much as possible in ventilation and a sprinkler system for the cows.”
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The Italian farmers losing out to floods
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“We lost our grapes, around 20 hectares of land, and the shelter for our animals,” the 29-year-old farmer says. “Some neighbours lost even more.”
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Northern European farmers are witnessing extreme weather too
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While England might not experience the long months of extreme heat in the same way as countries in the south of Europe do, farmers are worried about constant, heavy flooding pelting down on their farms.
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How are European countries caring for their farmers?
In Finland, the government learned that 40 per cent of its farmers considered their work mentally burdening, with 13 per cent reporting depression.
The state response is to ensure farmers know where they can get help. Occupational health services and the Farmers’ Social Insurance Institution are both advertised options for farmers struggling with structural changes in agriculture, sharp decline of profitability in farming and extreme weather conditions.
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