2.6 Western Europe

This monitoring period covers the vegetative growth of winter wheat and summer crops in the Western European Major Production Zone (MPZ).  Generally, crop conditions were near or above average in most parts of the Western European MPZ based on the integration of agroclimatic and agronomic indicators (Figure 2.6).

CropWatch agroclimatic indicators show that the whole MPZ showed a significant increase in RAIN (25% above average). Rainfall patterns can be characterized as follows: (1) 42.8 percent of the MPZ areas (Western and south-eastern France (Normandy, Loire, Brittany, Poitou-Charentes, Aquitaine, Sud-Pyrénées), Spain, north-western, central and south-eastern Italy, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Hungary), experienced below-average precipitation until mid-June and then above average until the end of this  monitoring period; (2) during the whole monitoring period, 27.3 percent of the MPZ areas (UK, north-eastern Italy, central and northern Germany (Hesse, Thuringia, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, Brandenburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommernia)) experienced above-average precipitation with the exception of late April and mid-June; (3) the precipitation for 29.9 percent of the MPZ areas (Côte d'Azur, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Centre, Burgundy-Franche-Comté, Haute-France in France and Baden-Württemberg, southern Bavaria, southeastern North Rhineland-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany) showed a trend that fluctuated significantly above and below the average until mid-June, with significant below-average precipitation in late April, late May and mid-June, but from late June onwards those region experienced heavy precipitation events; Countries with the most severe precipitation departures included Germany (RAIN +40%), Czech Republic (RAIN +30%), France (RAIN +25%),  Denmark (RAIN +21%) and Austria (RAIN +13%), while Italy and UK experienced below-average precipitation (RAIN -7%; RAIN -6%, respectively). Heavy precipitation accompanied by severe floods in some areas of the MPZ has caused severe damage to crops. RADPAR was down by 2%, influenced by the overall excess precipitation in this MPZ.

Temperature (TEMP) for the MPZ as a whole was significantly below average (TEMP -1.3°C). Throughout the monitoring period, temperatures were largely below average across most of the region, with the exception of heatwave events in the UK, France, Germany, Spain and northern Italy in early and mid-June, which may have affected grain growth of winter crops to some extent.

Due to the overall excessive precipitation in the Western European Major Production Zone combined with cooler than usual temperatures, the potential BIOMSS was 6% below average. The lowest BIOMSS values (-10% and below) were mostly concentrated in southern Denmark, western, central and southern Germany, northeastern and southern France. In contrast, BIOMSS was above average (in some cases exceeding a 10% departure) over Spain, central and south-eastern Italy, western France, and west-central UK. The average maximum VCI for the MPZ reached 0.92. More than 97% of the arable land was cropped, which is the same as the recent five-year average. Most uncropped arable land was concentrated in northeastern and southeastern Spain, with patchy distribution in other countries. The VHI minimum map shows that most of Italy and the southern part of Spain were most affected by severe drought conditions.

Generally, crop conditions in the Western Europe MPZ were near or above average. At the same time, crop yields in the MPZ will continue to be of concern due to the combined effects of heavy precipitation, severe floods events and heatwaves.

Figure 2.6. Western Europen MPZ: Agro-climatic and agronomic indicators, April to July 2021.

a. Spatial distribution of rainfall profiles    b. Profiles of rainfall departure from average (mm)

c. Spatial distribution of temperature profiles  d. Profiles of temperature departure from average (℃)

e. Maximum VCI

f. Cropped arable land

g. Biomass accumulation potential departure

h. VHI minimum